


An Exquisite Rendezvous

by Padfootastic



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, HP: EWE, Post-Hogwarts, Post-War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-13
Updated: 2017-11-30
Packaged: 2018-10-31 09:17:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 33,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10896312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Padfootastic/pseuds/Padfootastic
Summary: Hermione Granger, Unspeakable, one third of the Golden Trio and quite possibly the most famous muggleborn in the Wizarding World was in a fix. She needed someone to satisfy her needs. Needs, that were of the more...carnal nature. Who better to help her than a certain raven haired, leather clad, tattooed wizard?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!  
> This is the first chapter to my new Hermione/Sirius MC. This one would almost definitely be longer than Forbidden, or so I'm hoping, so I hope I do justice to the characters.  
> Be warned, this will contain smut, and that would be my only warning, since I dont want to keep notifying exactly when and where it'll start and end, since I feel it would ruin the flow. 
> 
> Don't forget to leave a comment!
> 
> None of the characters belong to me, nor am I making any profit of them. This is just for my own, and hopefully others', pleasure and entertainment.

Hermione Granger, Unspeakable at Department of Mysteries, one third of the Golden Trio, and quite possibly the most famous muggleborn in the Wizarding world was in a fix. Her unwavering ambition and the innate need to _prove herself_ meant that she had spent quite a lot of time working' overtime, before time, _others'_ time. She brought her work home with her and she spent all of Christmas and Easter poring over her work for the past 5 years since the end of the War. This understandably meant that she had no time, or energy, to maintain any sort of relationship with anyone. She was lucky to have friends as amazing and as stubborn as she had who refused to let her waste away in pursuit of her goals. _Goals,_ they said, _you aren't even sure about._

So, in between rounds of the Ministry, running from one Department to the Other and waiting hours on all sorts of important people, she was whisked away by Harry to visit museums, and go on picturesque nature watching trips and dragged by Ron to watch various muggle games, a compromise between quidditch and no sports.

She was pampered by Sirius with highly expensive one day trips to places like Venice, Rome, India, Hawaii. _Exquisite places for my exquisite Mione,_ he would say in that deep baritone of his, flicking her nose. He would take her to watch opera plays, and limited edition theater. He would accompany her to high class horse races, where only the most snobbishly dressed with wealth _literally_ dripping off them could even enter.

She was engaged in highly intellectual conversations by Remus, which, by the end would fizzle off into childish arguments of which Bertie Botts flavor was the worst, or which Hogwarts Professor would look the most ridiculous in pirate clothes- he would say Snape, although she claimed bias, but she would always be partial to Professor McGonagall, not quite being able to imagine the prim and proper Professor in such ridiculous attire.

She would be cajoled into babysitting Teddy by a pleading Remus who insisted he never quite got enough time with Tonks, knowing it would make her cave. Teddy always managed to wear her out so much she never really got any work done that day, something she suspected Remus and Tonks knew and took advantage of.

She would be forced into Parisian shopping trips by Fleur, and Ginny when she was around, to 'unwind and let go', and each time she would go in very reluctantly but come out suitably relaxed her manicured hands and feet, soft designer dress and footwear feeling like a gift from heaven.

Throughout all of this, especially because of the support of her friends, she managed to work her way up the Ministry, finally deciding to go with the Department of Mysteries, which needed qualifications higher than anywhere else. She had finally been initiated as an Unspeakable yesterday. It felt as if a _huge_ burden was taken off her shoulders, making it easier for her to breathe, because now she had a fixed schedule and a fixed goal, unlike the slaving hard work she had put in for five years, which was remarkably similar to a chicken running around headless. There had been more than a few times when she had been so frustrated by her lack of progress that she had decided to just quit altogether, but a few interventions by her friends prevented her from falling apart.

Now that she had so much more free time on her hands, along with being liberating, it also left her quite off balance. Ever since she went back to Hogwarts to complete her 7th year, going straight to the Ministry after that, she had been working as much as physically possible. Most of it had to do with her status as a muggleborn, because of which she felt like she had to work extra hard to prove herself just as capable.

And friendships were fine, but she had absolutely no time for any sort of a boyfriend, and after Ron and her had decided to part ways quite soon after they had gotten together, it also meant that her experiences with the opposite sex were quite limited. Which brought her to the core of the current dilemma she was facing. Her lack of sexual experience.

For a 23 year old like her, it was quite embarrassing to still have only sexual encounter under her belt. It wasn't that she was waiting for someone important to come along, or wanted to wait til marriage. If anything, it was the exact opposite. Her virginity wasn't something she had been particularly attached to, taking a sort of detached clinical view regarding the hymen as she did with everything else.

It, however, meant that she was incredibly frustrated without any means of relieving herself. Sure, her fingers had helped and the tiny collection of sex toys hidden in a small compartment inside her wardrobe had been lifesavers at times, but she wanted to feel a hard, chiselled body underneath her, wanted to smell the scent of sex and arousal in the air, wanted to taste the sweat and cum that she couldn't with her toys.

But, her lack of social, and sexual, interactions in the past five years meant that she was severely under confident in her abilities to please a man, and in turn, be pleased. She didn't know what she liked, what she didn't like, what kinks she had, and she didn't want to go out to and pick a random stranger up without being prepared because if there was anything Hermione Granger hated, it was being out of her depth in something.

But she wasn't sure how to go about remedying that. It's not like she could bring a new stranger every day back to her bed anyway, for one, it wasn't her style, and secondly, it would be _beyond_ rude to Sirius, and Harry.

After the war, Sirius had decided to clean up Grimmauld and in an effort to not be so alone, invited everyone he could think of to stay with him. Only Hermione and Harry had taken up his offer, as Ron didn't want to leave The Burrow after the devastating loss of Fred, and Remus moved in with Tonks. She had her own room, and discovered that she enjoyed this arrangement far more than she had originally thought, or intended. They had a comfortable system set up, where the food was Harry's responsibility, as he enjoyed the activity and was very good at it as well and most of the other chores that needed to be done were shared equally between Sirius and Hermione.

Grimmauld Place was large enough that everyone enjoyed their privacy, and they didn't feel too claustrophobic. It also helped that Hermione didn't have to pay any rent, although she had vehemently argued with Sirius in the beginning, claiming she didn't want to be a free-loader but he had resolutely denied, saying he would be ashamed of himself if he took rent from his godson and his best friend. In the end, he'd won but with the condition that Hermione would contribute to the groceries and any other household costs. In the days when Hermione was hardly paid enough to support herself, this arrangement was a godsend.

It was as she was sitting in one of the oversized couches in the Grimmauld Place library, sipping some red wine, that the door opened and Sirius Black walked in.

She turned slightly to wave a hand at Sirius, who was hovering hear the door to see if he should interrupt her, offering him to join her. He smiled slightly and pulled up a wooden chair from somewhere, turning it around so he could straddle the back, and sat facing her. She took a moment to take him in.

His messy black hair was scraped up into a messy bun, with a few wavy strands falling out to frame his angular face. His grey eyes were shining with mirth, as they always did, framed by eyelashes that were entirely too long and made him look entirely too sexy. His nose was slightly crooked, as if it's been broken one too many times, only adding to his dangerous appeal, really, and his lips were perfectly shaped and perfectly pink. Her eyes moved down to see his upper body clad in a dark v neck that did nothing to hide his tattoos. He had his leather jacket slung over the table behind him, and she could just imagine the piece of clothing perfectly clinging to him, especially when he rode that motorcycle of his. Black pants that were tight enough to show off his strong legs, but not so tight that they restricted movement were tucked into a pair of combat boots.

Hermione licked her lips as she slowly perused him. Sirius Black was the stuff of _very_ pleasant dreams for any girl, and she was no exception.

Her eyes reached his face again to see those delectable lips pulled up into a sinful smirk, "Enjoying yourself, Mione?"

She refused to blush and stutter like some schoolgirl and so her voice was curt when she replied, "I am, Siri. It's a nice view."

Sirius' eyebrows just raised, but he otherwise didn't react, not that she expected him to, "You looked deep in thought when I entered. Anything troubling you?" He looked at her as he summoned a bottle of whiskey and a glass, much preferring the muggle drink to its wizarding counterpart.

Hermione blushed when her earlier thoughts returned to her, piquing Sirius' curiosity at seeing the normally unflappable witch in front of him blushing at such a simple question.

"It's nothing really. You know how much of my time was taken up by work, and now that I suddenly have four day weeks, well, it's giving me a lot of time to myself, without any interruptions or deadlines or presentations. I was just thinking up things I could do now that I have so much free time."

Sirius hummed in agreement, "Of course. I was wondering about that as well. I can't imagine Hermione Granger sitting idle for three days a week, with nothing to do."

"Well, I won't be _completely_ idle, it's not like I have nothing to do." She cast a longing glance at the bookshelves behind her that were filled with ancient tomes, just begging for her to read them.

Sirius, seeing the direction of her gaze, barked out a laugh, "Ah, yes, the Black library. However could I forget?" He shook his head ruefully.

Hermione forced herself to look away from a particularly interesting book that was lying on the table to her right, "Shush, Siri. You know what books do to me. Especially books that are so exclusive and god knows how old."

"Of course I do, Mione. Anyone who knows you does." He took another sip of his whiskey, swirling it around in his glass, seeming strangely hesitant as he continued haltingly, "How...How about a boyfriend?"

Hermione's head jerked up at that, her cheeks flaring again, "I-I don't think so. I mean, for one, It's been only one day since I've gotten this job. I don't even know how much time I can put aside for a relationship. At least, not until some time. And then, there's also the matter of who. It's not like there's a line of suitors outside, and you know me, I'd rather know the guy first before dating him. It's just overall inconvenient."

Sirius's eyebrows raised again, this time in disbelief, and she couldn't blame him because those reasons sounded unconvincing even to her, "O-kay." He finished whatever little was left in his glass and Banished it, standing up and dusting his trousers off, "I think I'll turn in early for the night, I'm drained. I had to go to Gringotts and it seemed like the Goblins were extra infuriating today. You'll be okay?"

Hermione nodded, "Yeah, I will, don't worry. Good night." She quickly stood up to give him a short hug and a peck on the cheek, choosing instead to walk over to the book she had been eyeing all evening instead of sitting back down. She could hear Sirius' deep laughter as he went up to his room and a small smile creeped up her lips as well.


	2. 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so happy with the amount of attention this little fic has received, here AND on ffn. I cannot thank you guys enough for taking the time out to read and bookmark this, it means a lot :") 
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy this! (It has a tiny bit more action than the first)

Hermione yawned as she entered the kitchen, arms stretching high above her head. She'd spent more time than anticipated reading the book, which was about the history of the Ancient and Noble Houses, and left her a lot more knowledgeable than she had been before she opened it. This wisdom however came at the cost of only getting roughly 4 hours of sleep, half of which was spent tossing and turning as without the shield of new knowledge, her previous dilemma poked and prodded at her again. Yes, she realized it was one of the silliest things she could be fixated over, but she couldn't help it. She had finally reached a point in her life where she was almost content with everything. The only thing lacking an emotional, and physical, connection to someone.

Hell, at this point, she was so desperate she'd take sexual over anything else. But it was her damned inner swot that stopped her from jumping into a random stranger's bed.

She shook her head as she went around the large table in the middle of the kitchen, about to prepare some coffee for herself when a hand wrapped loosely around her wrist, tugging her around.

She let out a slight squeal as she found herself right in the arms of Sirius. One very shirtless Sirius. Hermione groaned as she felt the hard planes of muscle through her thin top, a Quidditch Jersey she had stolen from Harry sometime ago. She could feel his warm hand on her lower back, tugging her forward.

"I have your coffee ready, Mione," Sirius wrapped one around her shoulders and sat her down in a chair, a mug of steaming bitter coffee already ready for her. All unholy thoughts left her mind as the addictive scent of her favorite drink reached her nostrils. Her eyes closed in pure bliss as she took a huge breath, inhaling deeply and brought the mug up to her lips to take a greedy sip. SHe let out a sigh when the scalding drink touched her tongue, then throat, way past the stage where it would've burned her. Almost everyone who knew her teased her about her coffee addiction, but she couldn't help it. During the days she averaged about 3 hours of sleep per night, she only had coffee for company, and well, the habit never really left her.

"I'm glad you like it," Sirius teased.

Hermione tried to glare but there was no real ire in her eyes, "Well, it's _coffee_. You could've squeezed it straight out of the bean and I would probably still have finished it off."

Sirius made his way to the stove, which she belatedly realized had a pan with something sizzling in it, "Don't remind me. It's bad enough watching you drink it without any form of sweetener or milk. I can almost _feel_ your body dying slowly."

By now, Hermione had craned her neck to see what he was cooking, "As opposed to the bacon you're cooking there?"

Sirius, mature as he was, merely turned around to stick his tongue out. Instead of replying to her, he scraped the contents of the pan into two plates that already had some toast on it sat down in front her, placing one plate down beside her now empty mug of coffee.

In between bites of a delicious breakfast, their conversation dwindled and Hermione's awareness heightened. Sirius was only dressed in a pair of boxers- _how did he fry bacon like that?-_ and his hair was mussed up and falling freely around his face, unlike the previous evening. She couldn't help but think if he looked like that just after an intense makeout session as well, _or more,_ her mind whispered saucily, immediately ducking her head when she could feel the hot blush stealing over her cheeks.

"You okay, Mione?" Sirius' concerned voice reached her ears and she forced herself to nod her head, a tad bit too frantically, as her imagination grew wilder and sexier. A shirtless Sirius was now standing in front of her, towering in his 6"1 frame, and his boxers were riding low on his hips, hinting at a delicious trail of dark hair and a perfectly sculpted v that she was itching to lick. His muscles, extremely defined due to the almost religious physical exercise he underwent everyday, were not overly bulging but lean and sleek. Her eyes travelled up his abs, to his collarbone, which looked highly tempting to her highly sexed brain, and over his adam's apple and reached his face.

His full lips were..pulled up in a smirk?

Her eyes went higher and she squeaked when she realized Sirius Black really was standing in front of her, and she was eye fucking him all the while. She groaned as the blush on her cheek intensified and spread to her neck and chest. Something that Sirius apparently noticed since his eyes went down to the exposed area around and a little bit below her own collarbones, the jersey being so big on her that it dipped quite low on her than on Harry and easily reached a little past mid thigh. Sirius' dark eyes lingered on the swell of her now rather pink breasts, and her breathing hitched. He moved forward, one tiny step after the other, until he was right beside her chair.

His hand shot out to jerk her off her chair, where she was almost leaning forward in anticipation, and spin her around to push her up against the wall. His left hand was on the wall beside her head and his right on her waist, his thumb so close to her breasts she could feel the warmth radiating off it.

"That's the second time in as many hours I've caught you staring," His minty breath washed over her as he whispered, his voice going into that husky tone of his that she adored. "No. Not staring, _ogling._ "

"I can't help it, now can I, with you looking so sinfully delicious?" Hermione's voice was equally husky as she replied, her voice shaking just a tiny bit.

"Oh?" Sirius' head moved forward, just an inch, but it felt like most of the air had gone out of her lungs at that small movement. She couldn't even begin to imagine what would happen should he move even closer and…..

"You know very well what I mean. Don't pretend otherwise," Her own head was now moving forward of its own accord, their noses slightly rubbing together.

"Hm, I don't think I really understand, care to explain it to me?" He was now close enough that she could see the shades of grey his eyes were made up of. They were wonderfully mesmerizing and she couldn't quite take her eyes off them, despite his perfect lips being a mere hair's breadth away from hers. There was just something about them, how they were so unusually expressive but closed off at the same time. He had a shield put up for the world to see, but in these rare moments between the two of them, when they were alone, it seemed like all those defences vanished for she could see each and every emotion swirling in his eyes.

"How about I show it to you?" Her voice dropped to an almost imperceptible whisper just as her lips crashed against his, one leg wrapping around his waist, trying to pull him closer to her. Her arms were wrapped around those oh so wonderful shoulders, and as his lips moved agonizingly slowly against hers, she wondered how it would feel if her legs were wrapped around those muscular shoulders, the strong hands holding tightly onto her lower back, squeezing her thighs. Her hands moved happily over his well muscled back, feeling exactly as pleasurable as she had imagined, and even more.

They stayed there for what felt like an eternity, their lips moving in sync, fireworks going off in the background, fire spreading wherever skin met skin. She felt a tongue slide across her lips, and immediately opened up, moaning when a warm presence entered her mouth, moving immediately to massage her own tongue, leaving wonderful sensations in its wake. There was a small battle for dominance before Hermione emerged victorious, her hands squeezing his ass as they slid downwards from his back. A deep groan reverberated in his chest as his hand gripped her waist even tighter, most definitely leaving bruises behind, something she really couldn't be bothered to care about right now, what with his mouth doing delicious things to her body.

She gasped as his mouth left hers and trailed hot kisses down her neck, biting and sucking on her collarbone. Her hands were wrapped in that unbelievably soft hair of his, bunching and knotting it as she arched her back, wanting, _needing,_ more. He travelled slowly downwards, placing open mouthed kisses on her sternum over her thin shirt, his hand slowly going up to massage her ribs, and upper waist. His right hand reached her right breast the same time his mouth took one clothed nipple in, simultaneously tweaking and sucking each nipple. Her eyes closed as her fists tightened in his hair as the overload of sensations _hit her at once._

"Sirius!" She moaned loudly and as if a switch had been turned on, his mouth left her nipple with a 'pop' sound and his hand ripped away from her breast as if it had been burnt. He stepped back, almost tripping over his feet, as he looked at her with horror dawning in those beautiful grey eyes, looking as if he had just realized who it was he had pushed up against a wall and thoroughly snogged to high hell and back. A growl left Hermione's lips when she realized what must have been going through his head and she stalked forward to wrap her fingers in his hair and _tugged_ , bringing his face close to hers.

"Don't you _fucking_ dare feel guilty about this, Sirius Black, or so help me God you won't know what hit you," Her hair was crackling slightly and her eyes were narrowed and it was only a very dumb man who could do anything but nod. And since dumb wasn't one of the many things Sirius Black was, though he might seem like it around a gorgeous woman at times, he could do little but nod dumbly, his mouth still slightly open. Her fingers loosened and her eyes softened, and she leaned forward to place a soft kiss on his lips, caressing his cheek as she did.

She let her hand fall away as she stepped back, "I'll be in the library, if you feel like talking. I think there's something I need to tell you anyway." She didn't stay to see his reaction, instead turning around to head up to the library.

One thing she did notice, however, was that his hair was exactly as she had imagined when her fingers let go of it, and it turned her on beyond measure.


	3. 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one sets the foundation of the story more than anything else. Not too much action, I'm afraid but I really do hope to rectify that soon.  
> Hope you guys enjoy it, don't forget to leave a comment telling me what you guys would like to see next :")

She was sipping wine again, white this time, when the door opened and instead of the footsteps she was expecting, she heard the ruffle of padded feet on carpet. Surprised, she turned around to see a big black dog trotting towards her, until he reached her feet and sitting on his haunches, laid his huge head on her lap, pushing into her hand. She sighed and raked her fingers lightly through his silky fur, earning a soft whine from him. They sat like that for some time, staring at the roaring fireplace; Padfoot nudging her hand sometimes for her to scratch harder, and her complying.

When it felt like the fire had dimmed a little, and their eyes were starting to droop just a tiny bit, Padfoot stood up and in one elegant second, Sirius Black stood in his place. He was clad in a pair of casual jeans and a white button up, which hinted at his numerous tattoos. His hair was half pinned up with his wand, and he looked effortlessly elegant. He sat down on the couch beside Hermione, looking as if he was trying to find the appropriate words to express himself.

"I-Hermione, what we did, it's-I don't-I mean," He growled in frustration when he couldn't bring himself to make any sense, Hermione waiting patiently, knowing what he going to say and yet, giving him time, for a small idea was beginning to bloom in her mind, something if it worked, would help her a lot. "Look. I-I'm 20 years older than you. I'm pretty sure I'm as old as your _dad_ and if that doesn't repulse you then I-I don't know-" He broke off, turning away from her.

Hermione sighed, having expected this. She moved forward slightly, placing her hand on his shoulder, "Look, Siri. I wouldn't have kissed you this morning if I genuinely didn't want to, or God forbid, I was repulsed by you. You might be 20 years older and old enough to be my dad, but look at me, do you see me caring?"

"You-You should, Mione. I-Today was-I wouldn't say it was a mistake, because something like that couldn't be a mistake, and I don't regret it either but it can't happen again. I'm a former convict who has no regard for others, who isn't quite all there, you-you are a young woman who needs to live her life." Grey eyes had turned to stare into her own honey brown now, a mixture of emotions swirling in them, the most prominent being guilt and insecurity. She had never thought she would see Sirius Black ever look insecure.

Her hand moved to cup his cheek, smiling when he instinctively leaned into her palm, "Siri. Answer me one thing. Yes or no, that's all I ask for." Hesitantly, Sirius nodded.

"If I asked you to, would you do that again?"

Slight panic and a tiny bit of lust filled his eyes, "Mio-Mione, you know I shoul-"

"Yes or no, Sirius," Hermione pressed a little more firmly.

Sirius hung his head, his black locks acting like a curtain, hiding his emotions and those expressive eyes, "I-Yes. Yes, I would."

Hermione breathed out in relief, however his next words caused the smile to slip right off her face, "But Mione, this is your time to party, to hook up with random strangers, date anyone and everyone. There are so many things you could be doing rather than kissing an old dog like me.

Honestly, why would you want to?" At that, a bitter laugh left her throat, her previous musings coming back to her in full force.

"Sirius, my love, do you see a line of desperate suitors on or front step? Because I don't. I go out, the first thing people ask me is either about how it feels to be a muggleborn in such a prestigious position or what it's like being The-Boy-Who-Lived's best friend, neither of which are conversations I want to have with anyone, ever," Her frustration was clear in her voice as she continued, clearly pouncing on the chance to unload all the issues she had been dealing with the past couple days.

"On top of that, I have the sexual experience of a barely there teenager. Even if I do find someone, which is highly unlikely, I'm going to spend most of the time worrying over what I'm doing, what he's doing, whether he likes, whether I like it. That's _not_ how I want to have sex, Sirius!" She huffed in irritation, crossing her arms together.

Sirius wrapped his arms around her, previous hesitance forgotten in the face of her obvious discomfort, "Oh Mione, don't feel that way. Sex isn't supposed to be about logic or planning everything beforehand or playing a game of tit for tat. It's supposed to about following your instinct, your primal nature. You let your emotions and your heart guide you, not your brain. I know for someone who majorly relies on their brains, it's hard to shut it off for some time, but if you don't, it will only lead to you overthinking everything and there won't be any pleasure left for you or the other person." His voice was soft and gentle as he spoke quietly, trying to make his point to the brunette in his arms.

"I know all that, Sirius, I do! Objectively, I can recognize the fact that I need to detach myself from all this thinking and everything in order to enjoy an sort of sexual activity, but practically, I can't seem to apply it. I can't seem to convince my brain to actually shut off for some time. It..It scares me, Sirius." Hermione admitted in a whisper, almost breaking the raven haired man's heart.

He took her chin in his hand and placed a chaste kiss to her forehead, "Love, I can't give you a manual, or a tome about this. This is not something you can read out of a book three times and it somehow translates into your mannerisms. This, this is personal, Mione. You need to _feel_ it and no one can teach you how to do that."

"But it's so hard for me to just let go, I-I can't. I-Whenever I try, I feel like I'm suffocating, like I'm trapped. It's my anchor; control. But, I guess if I had some help from someone who knows how to do all this, maybe…." She trailed off and turned her doe eyes to him from where she had been looking at her fingers just a minute ago. Sirius gulped at the intensity and determination in those beautiful eyes.

"Wh-What do you mean?"

One delicate hand trailed up his chest, tracing the various words in different languages etched across his chest, "I mean, are you willing to help me, Sirius? Do you think you can help a friend out?" Her voice had dipped to a low note, seductive and pleasing.

Sirius shivered slightly, "And how do you suppose I can do that?"

Hermione twisted out of his arms to turn around and placed one leg over his own, pulling herself up so that she was straddling his lip. Her arms wrapped themselves around his neck and she leaned in close.

"By teaching me everything I need to know."

Sirius cocked an eyebrow, his arms automatically going to her waist, "And why me?"

Hermione's breath washed over him as she spoke her next words, "Because I trust you. Because I know you'll never take advantage of me. Because we already have a connection. Because I know I can let go around you. Do you want me to go on?"

The dog animagus' eyes closed at her words, and she could see him visibly gulped, before his eyelids slowly fluttered open, "Mione. Are-are you _completely_ sure? Because if we start this, whatever this is, then I need you to be. I don't want you to enter into this out of desperation or something along that line. If we do this, we do this the right way."

The hope that entered Hermione's amber eyes brought a smile to Sirius' lips and he barely had enough time to prepare himself before they were attacked by a brunette blur.

"Thank...you….Siri," Her words were punctuated by short, sweet kisses that brought forth a warm, fuzzy feeling in his belly. "I..promise..you...won't...regret this."

"I know you won't sweetheart, I know you won't."

Hermione knotted her fingers in his hair, and deepened the kiss, effectively stopping him from speaking any longer. Not that he was complaining. She trailed her tongue over his bottom lip, and he opened up for her. She immediately slid her tongue in and proceeded to check out every corner of his mouth. He similarly lavished each inch of her mouth with attention. He took her bottom lip between his teeth and nipped playfully, causing her to giggle. He then swiped his tongue over the same spot and repeated the process all over again.

Her hands traveled down his neck to his chest, where she slowly started unbuttoning the shirt he wore. One by one, she popped each button out, all the while managing to tease him with her tongue. Suddenly, Sirius' mouth left hers and he attacked her neck with a ferocity that left her gasping and distracted her from her task of ridding him of his shirt. He nibbled his way through her jaw and her neck, where he sucked not so gently on the hollow at the base of neck. She moaned loudly at the sensation, which only multiplied when he blew gently on the area. As he moved upward, nibbling and licking, she finally managed to get his shirt off him, revealing his beautifully sculpted body.

His upper chest was covered in tattoos. She knew most of them were just a cover up for the multitude of scars underneath. Scars he had started accumulating since his time at Hogwarts, when he was running around with a fully grown werewolf. Just because he couldn't get affected didn't mean he didn't have scars. Others were from his time in the first Wizarding War. A particularly hard nip on neck shook her from her thoughts and she continued to run her hands over his exposed chest. She could feel each and every gnarled scar under her fingertips and vowed to kiss each of them, repeatedly, when she had the chance. She circled her index fingers around the pebbled tip of his nipple, drawing a quick breath from him. She smirked at the reaction, and did it again and again.

Seems like the man currently feasting on her neck had incredibly sensitive nipples. She would take some advantage of that in the future.

Sometime later, too soon in her opinion, Sirius lifted his head and she could feel the absence of his hot mouth when the cool air hit the place he had just been sucking.

"We should probably go sleep. It's quite late," He spoke reluctantly. Hermione pouted but nodded.

She carefully got up from his lap, noticing belatedly the evidence of his excitement as she did. She bit her lip at the reminder of just what she had signed up and her eyes twinkled in joy and anticipation, "Good night, Sirius."

"Night, Mione," He replied, his voice husky and low. She placed a quick kiss to his swollen lips, and walked away to her bedroom, where she soon fell into a very deep sleep with lots of exciting dreams.


	4. 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Harry is coming in here because I love the bond him and Hermione share. So y'all can expect to see him a lot here xD

The next morning saw Hermione seated at the kitchen table yet again, with the smell of her favorite blend of coffee teasing her nostrils as she brought the dark green mug up to her lips.

"Knew I'd find you here, Mione," Sirius Black's sleep laden voice carried over to her ears before she could even see him. She twisted slightly to see him rubbing his eyes and let out a laugh when he stumbled into the half open cabinet.

"Ugh fuck me. What. is wrong. with this kitchen?" He glared at the offending wooden door before shifting his oh so deadly glare to the giggling brunette in front of him.

"Think this is funny, do you?" He muttered before taking two very large steps to get to his destination. He stopped just in front of her to give her a long, appraising look that warmed her cheeks and darkened her eyes.

"Ye-es," Hermione managed to stutter out, cursing herself for losing her composure in front of Sirius of all people. She visibly hardened herself before she placed her coffee at a safe distance and stood up to plant her lips on top of an unsuspecting Sirius'.

Honestly, what was he expecting being so close to her? Especially after yesterday? That she'd just stare at him again? Oh no. Now that she had access to the goods, she was going to make sure she made the most of it.

After a couple seconds of no reaction from his side, Hermione let out a sound that was suspiciously like a growl and pushed him up against the wall. She batted away the strange scent of deja vu that tickled at her and pushed her hands up so that Sirius' own were pinned to the wall.

She knew that should he want to, he could easily have gotten free or turned them around but she could sense his amusement, and arousal so she knew he would play along.

Sirius beant down a little to rub his lips against the feisty brunette's, earning another small growl from her. She moved forward to rub against him, the friction created by their clothed crotches sending delicious sensations throughout their bodies.

Hermione not so gently took the older man's upper lip between her teeth, biting down hard enough to coax a delicious groan out of him. She smirked against his lips and her tongue replaced where her teeth had been a few seconds ago. Grinding slowly on each other and devouring each other's mouths had them so preoccupied that they almost missed the Floo's charm, signalling a newcomer.

However, Sirius with his enhanced hearing, heard it just in the nick of time and pulled away from Hermione.

"Someone's..coming." His breathing was slightly labored from the explosive kiss they had just shared moments ago.

Hermione nodded, stepping back and running her fingers through her hair to even maintain some semblance of 'No-I-Did-Not-Just-Share-An-Extremely-Steamy-Kiss'

When, however, Harry Potter walked in the kitchen not a second later and gave her a weird look, she knew she had failed.

Hermione sighed, not wishing to dwell on the distinctly autonomous quality of her hair and turned to Harry. "Hey Harry. What brings you here?"

One dark eyebrow raised in response. "I...live here, Hermione?"

Hermione flushed at her own stupidity. "Yea-No, I know that, Harry! What I mean was aren't you supposed to be at the School right now?"

Harry smirked, "I know what you meant, I was just messing with you." Hermione huffed at that, arms crossing over her chest, "I just came 'round to ask if either of you can take over? I'm supposed to go over to Hogwarts to sub for Defense. Remus kind of got too sick so I got drafted for the next couple days."

Sirius, who quite frankly Harry hadn't even noticed was there owing to how uncharacteristically quiet he was, spoke up, "Moony's sick? He didn't say anything when we talked last night, though?" His eyebrows were furrowed in concern and Hermione had to stifle her giggles at that adorable expression.

Harry's features scrunched up like they often did when he thought hard about something, "Yeaaah. I think Professor McG said something about him being more susceptible to illness around the Full Moon and that this was just a flu that would pass?"

Sirius' expression cleared, although the concern was still evident in his grey eyes. "Ah. Of course. Moony doesn't feel the need to inform us of stuff like this. Was like this even back in school. The idiot once had a broken rib because of the wolf, but he thought he was just sore. Almost keeled over in class one day because he was this close to puncturing his lung." He shook his head in exasperated fondness for the other Marauder.

Hermione was stuck between horror, concern and amusement while Harry had chosen to bypass the former two and had gone straight to the raucous laughter. She moved forward to smack him around the head. "Honestly, Harry. Do you have to be so horrible?"

Harry wiped some tears from his eyes. "Hermione. Think over what he said and tell me you don't feel like laughing either. Plus, I feel some sort of strange kinship with the man." He burst into laughter at that again.

This time, it was Hermione shaking her head in exasperation, "Feeling like laughing and actually doing it are two very different things." Harry just waved her off and walked to the fridge where he got a can of coke for himself.

Sirius' nose wrinkled at the sight, "Do you have any idea how bad that stuff is for you? It contains enough sugar to give your grandchildren diabetes."

Harry, in response, took an extra large swig of the drink, "Stop being so dramatic, Sirius. We'll all die someday, might as well do it our way." He deliberately smacked his lips towards the end of his enlightening little sermon.

"Honestly, you and Hermione will be the end of me one day," Sirius muttered in disgust as he walked out the room.

The moment she heard his bedroom door close, she turned to Harry, "You did that on purpose didn't you?"

Harry looked around with a surprised expression on his face, "Who, me? Never. He's my precious godfather and I would nev- Okay yeah I did." He admitted sheepishly at the look on his best friend's face. He never could hide anything from her. One year on the run together and six years before that growing up with each other would do to that to a person.

"Spill. What was so important that you didn't want your, as you said, precious godfather to hear?"

Harry rubbed the back of his neck. "It's..complicated?" He offered.

"You've got to give me more than that if I'm to help you, Harry," Hermione turned around to grab her (now cold) cup of coffee, took one sip and almost spat it out. She ran to the sink and gagged, trying to remove as much of the infernal atrocity as she could.

Harry snorted at his best friend's predicament, "Honestly, Hermione. Even I could see that it was closer to poison than actual coffee."

"Yeah, well, I didn't think okay?" Hermione mumbled in embarrassment, her cheeks pink.

The black haired man shook his head. "Any-way. I saw Daphne recently."

Both of Hermione's eyebrows rose up to her hairline. "Oh? How did that go?"

Harry's cheeks and neck turned a violent shade of red at that, piquing Hermione's curiosity."I..sort of..ran away?"

She couldn't quite stop the snort that escaped her. "What in the name of all things holy do you mean ran away?"

"I couldn't help it, alright?" Harry blurted out, "She came down to the School, with some blonde kid in tow. Said she wanted to enroll him. I couldn't see her again, so I told Bree to manage it."

"Okay, okay, okay. Hold on. You've sort of lost me. You're telling me Daphne Greengrass came to YOUR school with a kid that has the same hair as she does? And you ran away?" She couldn't quite believe what she was hearing, if she was being completely honest.

Harry took a deep breath, "Let's do this again. Yesterday, around 3 I think? Daphne walked in. I saw her on the monitor- great idea that, by the way, Hermione. It really saved my life."

"I don't quite think that was the original purpose for installing the monitors, but okay," Hermione muttered under her breath.

Harry continued on as if he hadn't heard her, which knowing him he probably hadn't. "I saw her. I panicked. Laila was on my lap at that time- I was reciting that dragon story she loves so much you know?- and I..sort of..forgot she was there in my haste to get away?" Harry winced, anticipating Hermione's reaction. He wasn't disappointed.

"You forgot that a 6 year old was sitting on your lap?" Hermione shrieked, causing him to take a safe step back.

He held his hands up in what he thought was a placating manner. "Well, in my defense, I didn't expect Daphne to have a goddamn daughter, Hermione. Anyway, Laila didn't fall or anything, I caught her in time and just then, Bree walked in. I had Laila under one arm and I quite literally ran out of there. Poor Anna was so confused, but she took good care of Daph and her son, Gabriel."

"You need to give that woman a raise, Harry. Lord knows she deserves it for putting up with you and your antics," Hermione scowled.

Harry sheepishly nodded before falling silent, his eyes unfocused as he thought about the previous day.

Hermione, meanwhile, was thinking of the past, and why Harry had such a reaction to seeing Daphne Greengrass, Ice Queen of Hogwarts.

Four months after the end of war, Harry and Ginny had broken up It was a mutual thing, both of them realizing that the only feelings cultivated in them were due to societal and familial expectations and not their own. Much like Ron and her. Ginny stayed in England to play for the Harpies, while Harry travelled all over the globe for a while. Hermione always said that it was because he wanted to escape his demons because everyone knew the poor boy had a lot of them. Harry vehemently denied though, claiming it was because he wanted to see the different cultures and meet different people. 'I want to find my purpose in life again, Hermione,' he would say, each time she fussed over him.

One year after the War, he found it.

She remembered that day quite clearly. She was drowning in paperwork, being quite new to the Ministry, and was wishing to heaven and back for a break lest she actually lose her mind. Not soon after, her Floo roared to life and Harry stepped out with the biggest smile she had seen on his face since the War. She remembered not even caring about why he was so happy, just the fact that he was and getting up to hug him so hard, she almost choked him. He hadn't cared though, for he hugged her back just as hard and pressed a long kiss to her cheek.

_'I found it, Hermione. I found my purpose," He twirled her around in happiness, causing her to laugh joyfully._

_"What? What is it, Harry?" she asked when he put her down gently._

_He shook his head in that adorable way of his, "Not a what. Who."_

_She squealed uncharacteristically loudly, causing him to ruffle her hair fondly. Bursting with curiosity, for it was a rare occurrence to see Harry so happy and so smitten with someone, she asked him repeatedly for details._

_He took her hand and sat her down in the couch, sitting beside her himself, " It's...someone we know. All of us. She went to Hogwarts with us." Hermione gave his hand an encouraging squeeze when he stopped._

_He shot her a worried look before continuing, "It-It's Daphne. Daphne Greengrass."_

_Hermione's jaw dropped open in surprise. Well, that was a surprise. Daphne Greengrass was and her family had stayed neutral in the war. She didn't quite blame them, for she had seen what the fighting did to those who did take part in it, but the neutral ones weren't quite well received in the country. People on both sides thought them to be cowards. She didn't care about that, though. What mattered to her was that Harry was happy with her, and that she wasn't taking advantage of him in any form._

_So she smiled at him, and watched the worry seep out of his eyes at her easy acceptance, "So, how did you meet?"_

He couldn't stop talking after that. They had met in India. She had been travelling the world, same as him and so they found a common passion. It took some while for them to get close but they had all the time in the world and no responsibilities or duties to get back to. So they travelled some more and in the process, fell in love.

However, a year and a half later, something happened. Something that changed their relationship.

Daphne broke things off with Harry, giving no reason why and disappeared off the face of the Earth. Harry was devastated. He almost couldn't take the pain of another loved one leaving him and in the aftermath of their breakup, seeing her best friend so depressed and so hopeless, there had been many a time when Hermione had wanted to track Daphne down and throttle her for the hurt she caused in the wake of her departure. She had restrained herself, though, for the sake of Harry, who even after being spurned was just as damned noble as ever.

He was the one who tried to convince Hermione that maybe Daphne was in trouble, maybe she didn't want to run away but was forced to by someone, or something. She hadn't wanted to break his heart by telling her what she thought, which was that the Ice Queen had played him like a fiddle and left him before things got too deep.

But now, she was back. And with a kid in tow.

"So, what do you plan to do?" Hermione asked when she was done with her musing.

Harry sighed, raking a hand through his messy hair, "I-I really don't know , Hermione. I can't hide forever. I mean, she had to have known I run the place. Why would she come there? We could've lived our lives without ever running into each other, why did she come now? Why?" He turned pleading emerald eyes onto her that broke her heart. She took his hand and guided him towards the couch, where she sat down and made him lie down with his head in her lap.

She ran her fingers through his hair, knowing how much it soothed him. A moment later, she was gifted with a contented sigh coming from him.

"I'm not sure why, Harry. Maybe you can talk to her when she comes again?" Hermione started slowly, her thoughts running around in a wild mess, "Or, I can, if you think you're not up for it."

Harry opened his eyes to send her a thankful smile before going back to his previous position, "You know I love you, right, Hermione? You're the best thing to ever happen to me." He murmured, tiredness coating his words. In that moment, Hermione could see, quite clearly, how much this had been tormenting him since he had seen Daphne. She vowed to make this right for him, for she would not let him fall into the state he was in three years ago.

She leant down to press a kiss to his forehead, "I know, I love you too. Now sleep," she ordered softly, smiling when he nodded slightly before dozing off quite quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not a lot of Sirius in this one, I'm afraid. But fret not, for he shall have Hermione's undivided attention in the next one!   
> As for information regarding The School, maybe the chapter after the next :")


	5. 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's pretty long y'all  
> Consider it a sort of early present, two chapters in one sort of things, since I'll be away for two weeks and I dont know how much I'll be able to write, since I'l be with a lot of family.   
> Regardless, I hope you guys like it :")

 

* * *

Hermione opened her eyes when she heard the sound of footsteps entering the room. She looked up to see Sirius walking towards her, obviously trying to be quiet so that he didn't wake Harry up.

Hermione cast a silent Muffliato around Harry before smiling at Sirius.

He returned the smile before asking quietly, "Is he okay? He looks tired." He shot a concerned look at the black haired boy in her lap, whose featured were currently scrunched up in distress.

She ran her fingers over his forehead in an attempt to smooth the wrinkles before speaking, "He-He'll be fine. He saw Daphne yesterday."

Sirius' left eyebrow cocked at that, a slight snarl leaving his lips at the mention of the woman who broke his godson's heart quite terribly.

"She had a 3 year old son, Sirius," Hermione continued.

Sirius blinked once, twice before letting out a string of curse words that would surely have woken Harry up if not for the Muffliato.

"Do you think that's why she left?" Sirius asked. "Because she got pregnant?"

Hermione shrugged, her fingers never stopping their ministrations through Harry's hair.

Suddenly, a glint appeared in Sirius' grey eyes that made him look like the ruthless, cold blooded Death Eater people had once assumed he was.

'Do you think the kid is Harry's?" He whispered, his voice tight with the control he was exerting so as to keep a tight reign on the anger that was begging to be let out.

The room suddenly felt like it had gotten a few degrees colder, and his eyes had darkened to an almost black. Hermione shuddered at the pure venom in his tone, and the look in his eyes. She could never get used to the cold rage Sirius fell back on when he thought someone he cared about was hurt. And if Daphne did run off pregnant with a kid that could have been Harry's, then she almost pitied the woman if she ever came in contact with Sirius. Key word being almost, because she very well remembered what her actions had done to Harry. It had taken a long time for them to work on his self confidence and bring it up to an appropriate level and Daphne went and ruined all of that in one thoughtless move. So yes, Hermione was feeling more than vindictive herself.

She chose her words carefully, knowing the wrong thing would cause him to burst. "I- don't know, to be honest. The timeline would fit. If she was pregnant when she left, then the baby would be just a few weeks older than 3 years now. But, and this is coming from someone who well and truly hated her at one point, Sirius, I don't think it was his. She couldn't have done something like that. Anyone with eyes could see how in love with Harry she was."

Grey eyes flared at her words and she winced. "From where I'm standing, Mione, it's either his kid or she cheated on him. I'm not sure which one is worse."

Hermione looked down at her best friend, whose features were now calm and untroubled. She bent down to place a lingering kiss on his forehead, silently praying to whichever entity was listening to not make him go through any more heartbreak for he had exhausted all his reserves and she didn't know if he could take any more, before straightening up to face Sirius.

"It'll devastate him, either way," she stated. Sirius nodded, his face still troubled.

After a minute or two of just listening to the comforting sound of Harry's breathing, she spoke again, "You..know that we need to tell him right? About us?"

Again, he nodded. "I know. The last thing I want to do is keep something like this from him. However," he spoke very pointedly now, "we need some time to ourselves first. I won't have us fumbling around in front of him when we do decide to tell him just because we jumped into this too early. I'm sure he won't appreciate knowing how hard your moans make me, or how much you like the kitchen wall."

Hermione's cheeks flared red at that but she refused to comment on the last line. "I agree. We need to get to know each other."

Sirius seemed to think about it for a whole, before speaking. "So what do you say we go on a date, hm?"

Hermione slowly nodded her head, thinking of all the wonderful possibilities such a thing could entail.

Sirius clapped his hands together in apparent joy. "Good, now that's settled. Tomorrow at noon? I know just the place we could go to."

Hermione smiled, "I'll be ready and waiting."

Sirius quickly saluted her before pressing a quick kiss to her cheek away and walking away.

Hermione yawned lightly before resting her head back on the couch to catch some sleep herself as well.

* * *

The next day, Hermione was up bright and early. She had a feeling the day would be amazing. She took a quick shower and stood in front of her closet wrapped in a fluffy purple towel.

Her head was cocked to the left as she looked at her options for the day. Sirius had only told her to dress comfortably, nothing more. Comfortable could mean anything from shorts to pants to skirts and dresses, so she wasn't particularly sure about what to wear.

After a few minutes of deliberating, she chose to don the light yellow sundress. It was pinched at the waist, accentuating her figure and had an off the shoulder design, coming down to mid thigh. Paired with brown sandals, it looked gorgeous.

She spent some more time on her hair to get the strands to fall in messy waves instead of curls. When she was done, she stepped back to take a final look at herself in the mirror and smiled.

She wasn't what one would call a traditional beauty, and she loved it. Her hair, which was usually a wild mess tumbling down her shoulders, came down to just above her elbows in sleek waves today. The shade of her dress perfectly complimented her naturally tan body, and if she had to admit, her legs looked killer in the outfit. Her makeup wasn't too overdone, some red lipstick, a light dusting of blush and winged liner and she was done.

She smiled again, pleased at the result and walked out the kitchen where Sirius was waiting for her. When her eyes fell upon him, she bit her lip at the sexy picture he formed.

He was leaning against the kitchen counter, arms folded across his chest. This had the wonderful effect of showing his rippling muscles off. He wore a black silk shirt, with the first two buttons unbuttoned to show off the eye catching tattoos underneath. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and his wrists were covered in colorful bands. She smiled fondly at that. They were gifts from the kids at Harry's School and he never took them off if he could help it.

Trailing her eyes further down, his legs were covered in an _extremely_ form fitting pair of khaki pants and she was sure if he turned around, his ass would look _very_ pleasing in them.

Finally, her eyes landed in his smirking face. His hair was wonderfully tousled, giving him the just-after-sex effect she loved so much.

She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You look very handsome, Mr. Sirius Black."

His hands came up to rest just above her ass, on her lower back and she could feel the warmth radiating from his palms. "And you, Ms. Hermione, look utterly ravishing. Somehow, I don't feel like going out at all today."

Instead of answering, Hermione leaned forward to kiss him. Her lips slanted over his as they fought for dominance in the middle of her kitchen. His palms tightened to grab her waist, bunching her dress up slightly. As always, her fingers found their way to his hair. She moaned as his tongue expertly massaged hers, knowing just the points that drove her crazy.

They kept the kiss in control, no groping and most certainly no undressing. Reluctantly, they parted, their breathing heavy and their faces flushed.

Suddenly, a thought struck Hermione. "You know, Siri, we need to be at the school today and tomorrow to cover for Harry. Tomorrow we can manage, what about today though?"

Sirius took her hand as he led her to living room. "Oh, don't worry about that. I talked it over with Harry today. We have until 5, which is when Bree needs to leave. Until then, we can do whatever we want." He shot a wolfish grin her way, causing her to shake her head at him.

"Now, I know you hate portkeys, but we need to use one to get where we want to go," Sirius said apologetically. Hermione grimaced but nodded. Portkeys and her never had the best relationship to begin with. After the war, not being in control annoyed her and well, portkeys were the best way to make a person lose control.

She took a deep breath and took hold of the piece of rope Sirius had somehow conjured. As soon as she touched it, it flashed white and she felt the familiar tug behind her navel.

Just as her feet touched ground, she heard Sirius beside her, coughing. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths to get her stomach under control. When she opened then, she saw Sirius looking at her in concern.

"I'm fine, Siri," she chuckled.

"You sure?" he clarified, worried.

She merely nodded, her eyes already taking in their surroundings. It looked like a field of sorts, except there was nothing there. It was...barren.

"Um, Sirius. Where exactly _are_ we?" she enquired after a moment of inspection.

A grin lit up his face at her words. "We, dear Mione, are at a super secret location. I had to pull some strings to get us entry in here."

Hermione gestured disbelievingly at the wide expanse of grass all around her. "Super secret location? Had to pull strings?"

Sirius held up his hands, "Okay, okay. I know what this looks like. Do you really think if it was a super secret location, it would be just out there for anyone to see? Because I don't think so."

Hermione shrugged as if to say 'I'm waiting.'

Sirius huffed at her, but raised his wand and muttered something that was too low for her to catch.

The air shimmered and a castle that wasn't there a moment ago appeared right in the middle of the barren land.

Her disbelieving brown eyes turned to Sirius, who had a triumphant smirk on his face.

"I-You. How?!"

"Oh, don't you worry your cute little head about that. Let's go in," he said, reaching forward to entwine his fingers with hers.

She was still in shock when they reached the towering entrance to the beautiful castle. From what she was able to see, it was in perfect condition. It had four towers surrounding it and even had a quidditch pitch somewhere beside the tower on the east. Sirius raised his arm to lift the heavy knocker on the side.

Hermione blinked as the door opened inward. She poked her head in and blinked again when she didn't see anyone there.

Hitching a thumb towards the entrance, she asked, "Um. There isn't anyone there. How did the open?"

"Mione, sweetheart, this is a magical castle. One that I rented out for our date. You don't need a butler to open the door for you," Sirius explained patiently He had already assumed that he would be in for a slew of questions that day and was completely prepared for it.

Hermione's eyebrows furrowed but she didn't say anything else as she entered the castle. Her eyes widened as she took in the interior. It was simply beautiful. There was no other word for it.

She took a step forward, her eyes roving over the portraits and sculptures covering the whole place. One glance upward showed that there was a _huge_ crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling that fit right in with the theme of opulence the room was projecting. The walls were covered in tapestries depicting centuries worth of history, from what she gathered. As she was admiring the place, something Sirius said entered her thoughts.

She turned to him, who was just standing back and watching her with a small smile on his face. "Did you say you _rented_ this place?"

He nodded slowly. "Yes, I did. Seems worth it don't you think?"

Hermione started blinking in rapid succession at his nonchalant words. "Are you telling me you actually rented a centuries old castle- at least nine centuries old, if the tapestries are any indication- that looks like it would've been fit to house Godric Gryffindor himself _just for our date?"_ Her voice rose a few octaves along with her disbelief.

Sirius rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "I wanted us to have a great first date?" He framed it more like a question than anything else.

Hermione shook her head incredulously before stalking up to him and pressing a hard kiss to his lips.

"Thank you," she said when they broke apart, "it means a lot to me, that you went to such great lengths."

Sirius merely pecked her on the lips in answer, and took her hand to guide her towards the grand staircase.

"You know what this means, though, don't you?" Hermione asked suddenly.

Sirius cocked his head to the side in question.

Hermione smirked. "This means that I get to choose the next date. And I have a tough one to compete with."

Sirius let out a loud laugh at her competitive nature rearing its head and shook his head fondly. "You do whatever you wish to, sweetheart. You know I'll follow you to the ends of the earth."

* * *

After a very informative tour of the huge castle, which was wonderful if only because of the amount of fascinating history that was encompassed within it, Sirius led her out to the Quidditch Pitch.

"Ron and Harry would go crazy if they see this pitch, you know," Hermione noted. "It's much bigger than the one at Hogwarts, or the one they go to for their friendly matches."

"Eh. Wouldn't matter either way. You can't just rent this place for it's Quidditch Pitch you know, there are other places for that," Sirius replied. He conjured up a blanket to spread on the ground and then turned to Hermione.

"So. Fine dining or picnic?"

Hermione blinked once, twice. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Sirius sighed in fake exasperation, though his eyes were alight with humour. "I mean. Would you like to have fine dining or a picnic?"

Hermione's mouth opened as if she was about to say something but then it closed. And opened again and closed.

Sirius chuckled at her behaviour. "It's a simple question. What would you prefer?"

"Uh...fine..dining?" Hermione said, phrasing it more like a question.

"You don't seem very sure of that," Sirius noted.

She shook her head. "Oh no no, it's nothing like that. I'm just sort of confused why you sprang that on my suddenly. I-uh fine dining. Definitely." She nodded her head in a determined manner that made Sirius laugh before he took three pebbles and transformed into a table and two chairs.

"Alright, I get," he nodded before pulling out a chair for her. "My lady."

Hermione delicately sat down on the chair, waiting for him to sit as well. However, after seating her, he didn't immediately come 'round to the other side. Instead he brought out a tiny basket from his pocket and enlarged it.

"Here," he said, placing it in Hermione's pocket. "just hold onto it for a second will you?" With that he started rummaging around in another pocket.

One of Hermione's hands trailed around the basket to open the flap on the left side. Just as she was about to take a peek, something hard tapped her fingers.

"Ouch!" she yelped in surprise. Holding her hand close to her chest, she looked up to see Sirius holding a silver spoon in his hand and a very stern expression on his face.

"No touching, young lady," he chided. Hermione bit her lip as a completely different scene appeared in her head where she was being spanked for touching him for a decidedly more inappropriate reason. She quickly nodded her assent before her imagination got too carried away.

Sirius looked at her suspiciously before going back to his task of bringing out more utensils from his pockets and enlarging them. Hermione giggled at the scene, quieting when Sirius turned around to stick his tongue out at her.

A few minutes later, he was finished with his task. He took the basket from Hermione and opening the right flap, he brought out what she assumed was the first course.

"Confit salmon with orange and fennel salad," he announced in a pretentious manner before sitting down across from her.

Hermione looked at him in awe. "Did you make this? On your own?"

Sirius blushed slightly but nodded. "Well, we weren't doing a lot today, and I really wanted to make it special. So I thought why not?"

Hermione's heart melted at his words. If she had any doubts about dating Sirius, if that was the correct words for what they were doing, then all of them vanished in that second. No one had ever managed to make her feel so special with such few words.

Instead of replying, though, she took a mouthful of the salmon and an explosion of flavors took place as soon as it touched her tongue. Hermione moaned in pleasure at how the salmon seemed to _melt_ on her mouth. She opened her eyes, which she hadn't realized were closed, to see Sirius looking at her with hooded eyes. Her cheeks warmed when she realized why he might have had such a reaction.

"Sirius. This was...amazing. I don't think I have the words to explain how delicious that was," she gushed, choosing to ignore the heat in his eyes. For now.

"If that's the reaction I'm going to be blessed with every time you eat something I cook, then I think I should be cooking for you more often," he teased.

Hermione blushed but chose to take another bite of the salmon instead of replying.

After a few moments of silence, she spoke again. "But, you don't really cook at home. I mean, I know you're a great baker since you always take over the baking from Harry but this, this is something new."

Sirius shrugged in response. "I don't know. I guess I never really volunteered to cook because Harry always does it. It's his thing you know? He finds it cathartic, I didn't want to intrude. Me on the other hand? I just like cooking. I used to be the designated cook back when me and Moony stayed together."

Hermione waited until she took another bite before speaking. "You and Remus stayed together? I didn't know that."

Sirius laughed. "Oh sweetheart, the things Harry and you don't know about us could fill books. Over 5 years we've been living together and we still haven't gone through half the stories I could tell you about our shenanigans.

But yes. Moony and I rented an apartment after we left Hogwarts. Both of us needed someplace to stay and since Prongs and Lily got hitched almost as soon as they graduated, we stuck together."

Hermione frowned slightly. "What…what about Pettigrew?"

Sirius' grey eyes flared at the traitor's name. "He went to live his mother. She was supposedly very sick. In hindsight, that should've told us something." His hand clenched tightly over the fork he was holding.

Hermione placed her hand on his to calm him down. "I-I'm sorry I brought him up. I know how much it affects you and I still-" she broke off, hanging her head in shame.

Sirius immediately leaned forward and removed his hand from under hers to cut her cheek.

"Hey, hey, hey" he whispered gently. "It's not your fault alright? You can ask me anything you want and if I don't want to answer, then I'll tell you. You shouldn't have to feel guilty for asking question okay?" His grey eyes looked into her brown orbs with a sort of determination that she couldn't look away from and she slowly nodded.

His lips quirked up in a soft smile. "Now that that's done, we can get started on the main course!"

He opened the right flap again and carefully brought out another delicious looking plate and placed it in front of her.

"Lemon garlic chicken on a bed of grilled asparagus," he announced in that faux pompous way again, making her giggle.

She licked her lips as she looked down at the incredibly tempting plate in front of her.

She looked up through her lashes at Sirius. He seemed to know what she was thinking at once.

"Alright, alright. No conversation until this people is over. Dig in!" He started laughing when she took him quite literally and _dug in._

They ate the main course in silence, partly because of the food and partly because of the fact that they felt just as comfortable around each other without talking as they did when they had a conversation.

When their plates were as clean as could be, Sirius Vanished them and got up for dessert. Hermione tried to curb her impatience but she wasn't sure it was a completely successful attempt. After the previous courses, she was looking forward to what this dessert could bring her and since she had always been fond of dessert, from when she was a little kid only allowed to eat in on a very limited basis, she was excited to what Sirius would bring out.

However, instead of two plates, he brought out one single black with a silver cloche on it. She leaned forward eagerly when he placed it right in the center of the table.

"I thought we could... _share_ dessert," Sirius murmured. In some part of her mind, Hermione noted that his voice was suddenly huskier than it had been previously. She looked up to see that he was looking at her through hooded eyes and she gulped at his smouldering gaze. This time, she chose not to ignore the fire that was pooling in her belly.

Maintaining the eye contact, she lifted the cloche and that was when she got a look at the dessert it contained underneath.

Dark chocolate mousse.

That was looking sinfully enticing. Sort of like Sirius, if she was being honest.

She took a spoonful of the rich mousse and lifted it up to Sirius' lips. He opened his mouth and _licked_ the spoon clean, his tongue darting out inconspicuously. Hermione bit her lip at the movement, releasing it a few moments later when Sirius raised his spoon to her mouth. She closed her eyes and let out a soft moan as the mousse literally melted on her tongue.

"Okay, screw this," she heard Sirius growling before the table quite literally vanished in front of her eyes.

"Bu-but the mousse," she stuttered, pouting slightly at the fact that she wouldn't be able to eat any more of the delicious dessert.

"It'll still be there when we're done, don't worry."

"Done with that?"

Her question, however, was left unanswered as Sirius moved forward so quickly she didn't even see him move and wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her flush against him. One wave of his wand and their chairs vanished as well, and the only thing that remained of their previous setup was the blanket on the floor.

The reason why he left the blanket untouched became clear a minute later when he gently lowered the two of them down so that she was laying on her back and he was hovering over her.

"Stop me if it goes too fast?" Sirius whispered, his grey eyes taking in her face. Hermione could only give a short, jerky nod as she felt his fingers trailing down her waist, over the exposed skin on her thighs. Those fingers slowly slipped under her dress and started massaging her thigh.

Hermione, eager for more, rose slightly to press her lips against Sirius'. She moaned when she tasted the dark chocolate that she had fed him mere minutes ago. She eagerly opened her mouth when his tongue ran over her bottom lip. Her hands, meanwhile were quickly unbuttoning his silk shirt, deftly slipping the shirt off his shoulders when she undid the last button. Their lips broke off as Hermione nudged Sirius to flip them over.

The next second, she was on top of him and he was laying on his back. His fingers went back to massaging her thighs, this time higher than before, and she crawled downward to place open mouthed kisses all the way from his sternum to his chest. She licked and kissed her way through the numerous scars that adorned his body, battle scars, until she reached her destination. One puckered nipple. She slowly licked a lazy circle around it once, twice, thrice, before completely engulfing it in her mouth. She heard Sirius take a shuddered breath and his hand on her thigh tightened momentarily.

Hermione smiled slightly at his reaction and continued sucking on his nipple, while her other hand twisted and pulled at the other. Suddenly, she felt fingers moving in a place that was most definitely not her thigh, and let out a sigh when she felt them encircling her core.

"You're so wet, Mione," Sirius groaned from above her. Hermione smiled indulgently before releasing his nipple with a wet pop and moving over to the other one, restarting the process all over again.

He circled his fingers along the length of her trimmed lace thong, bought specifically for the occasion. He repeated the action a few more times before slowly pulling the material down her thighs with the help of his other hand. Hermione took in a sharp breath as she felt the cool breeze hitting her down there. She involuntarily stiffened a moment later when the full impact of what they were doing hit her.

Sirius immediately stopped his action and looked at her with concern. When he saw the conflicted emotions running through her eyes, he sighed and immediately pulled her up so that she was face to face with him and not beneath him.

"We're not doing if it makes you uncomfortable, love."

"It's not that I'm uncomfortable, Siri. I-just, I've never done this before and actually liked it. Or, scratch that, I've never had this done to me and liked it," she whispered, turning her face away from his in shame.

Sirius placed two fingers under her chin and turned her face so that she was looking into his eyes. "If that's the problem, then let me correct that, sweetheart. This should not be uncomfortable for _anyone."_

When Hermione still looked a little unsure, he leaned up to place a tiny kiss on her lips.

"You trust me?"

He couldn't quite stop the smile that blossomed on his lips when she nodded determinedly, all traces of insecurity vanishing from her face at his question.

He bit his lip and leaned forward to kiss her again, gently and softly. His fingers trailed over her thighs, making her shiver, until they found what they were looking for.

She was dripping wet and ready. All for him. He slowly circled his fingers around her clit, making her squeeze her eyes tightly and press against his fingers, arching for more.

"Sirius!" she gasped loudly.

Sirius smiled at her reaction and flicked his finger over her bud a few times, relishing in the mewls his actions incited from her. After a few moments, he inserted his index finger, slowly so that she could get used to it. When it was in up to his knuckles, he gently pulled back and pushed it back in, harder this time.

Hermione arched her back as the sensations hit her all at once. She truly did not know just how pleasurable something as intrusive as this could be. She was beginning to think that this was going to set the tone for their relationship. Him breaking her out of her misconceptions and-

"Oh, oh, oh!" her thoughts cut off abruptly when she felt him inserting a second finger, which felt much, much more intense than before.

She bit her lip to contain her moans, her eyes almost rolling into the back of her head as he hooked his fingers _just so_ in a 'come hither' position that brought forth sensations in places she didn't even know she had.

Suddenly, her breathing hitched and her eyes squeezed tight and Sirius' fingers moved faster, creating a delicious friction and all of a sudden, an explosion of sensations took place throughout her body, the heat growing in her belly dissipating suddenly, spreading a wonderful, delicious warmth throughout her body, right from her toes to the tips of her ears.

She slowly opened her eyes, tongue darting out to lick her suddenly dry lips. She looked at Sirius, who had a proud glint in his eyes. In front of her disbelieving eyes, he brought his fingers up to his mouth and took them in in one quick move. He thoroughly cleaned his fingers off, winking at her in the process and making her face burn at seeing him do something so..so intimate. When he was satisfied, he summoned his wand from somewhere and then quickly Scourgified them, smiling widely at her.

Hermione, for her part, could only gape at him.

"I hope you enjoyed that, Mione," he whispered, his voice still husky.

"I-I-" Instead of answering him verbally, Hermione just stuck to kissing him deeply, uncaring of the fact that the slightly tangy taste on his tongue that had never been there before was almost definitely her own essence.

When they pulled apart, Sirius eyes twinkled as he spoke again.

"Now, how about that chocolate mousse?"

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um, pretty much all the food described up there is taken off google and cooking shows since I'm vegetarian, so if I got anything wrong, feel free to tell me, hey?


	6. 6

After the highly pleasurable turn of events that took place on the Quidditch Field, Sirius conjured the dark chocolate mousse from somewhere and they spent a good deal of time just feeding each other and messing around. 

 

It had been a long time since Hermione had felt so relaxed and been so carefree. For as long as she could could remember, she’d always had a sort of shield wrapped tightly around herself, and even though she didn’t completely let her guard down today, she had come the closest to doing it since the War. 

 

At quarter to five, they regretfully left the castle and walked back to the clearing in the field. Sirius brought out another Portkey- a battered old quill this time- and Hermione steeled herself for the journey. 

 

She felt the telltale jerk behind her navel and in the next second, they were not standing in the middle but just outside the Boarding Home for Young Magicals. 

 

BHYM was started by Harry and Sirius, though Sirius was more involved in the investments and funding part of it, three years after the War. Even though Harry had wanted to become an Auror, after the War he discovered that he much preferred peace and quiet. He felt like he’d chased, and been chased by, enough bad guys that it wouldn’t matter if he became an Auror or not. He had thought about becoming a Professor for a while, but he had some issues with that as well. He wouldn’t get as much freedom, and if there was one thing he cherished after being manipulated and lied to by everyone, it was his freedom. And so the idea of a school entered his mind. 

 

However, the word school was not enough to describe the vast establishment. It doubled up as an orphanage as well. The War had wiped out entire families and left behind many orphaned kids, with nowhere to go. It was an issue that was hit home with Harry, considering how he was treated while growing up. He wanted to do something to ensure that other War orphans did not go through the same thing. Thus, on his travels, he chalked out a plan so detailed that Hermione herself couldn’t have done better. He had approached Sirius about investing in it, because even though he had more than enough money to cover all of it, he wanted a second opinion on everything he did. Defeating a Dark Lord and saving the Wizarding World did absolutely nothing for that boy, Hermione would often think. 

 

He worked relentlessly for the next half year, which coincided with the period Daphne left him. Often, he did not sleep, or forgot to eat, because he was so determined to make it perfect. He was also trying very hard not to think of Daphne at all, for he knew if he faltered then he wouldn’t be able to pick himself back up again. 

 

And now, running for almost three years, it was one of the most successful projects Hermione had ever seen in the Wizarding World. There were around thirty orphans who lived there full time, and about one hundred kids who enrolled there for day school. And, at the helm of it all, working tirelessly without expecting anything in return, was Harry. He never once complained about the long hours, or the infants who kept him awake at night, or the hormonal teenagers who had frequent tantrums. He took all of it in stride. His determination, and patience had never failed to amaze those who knew him and his work. 

 

And he managed to achieve what he wanted as well. In addition to providing a home and a loving, safe atmosphere for orphans and being a teacher, he managed to get people to stop looking at him as ‘The Boy Who Lived’ but as Harry Potter, founder of the Boarding Home for Young Magicals. People started appreciating him for his own achievements and merit, rather than something that happened at a time when he was so young he could hardly remember it. 

 

Suddenly, Sirius’ hand on her shoulder quite literally shook her away from her thoughts. 

 

“You okay?” she heard him asking. 

 

“Huh? Oh yeah, I’m completely fine. I was just thinking,” she replied absentmindedly, waving his concern away. That man honestly worried way too much. Whenever she teased him about being such a mother hen, he would always smile in that rueful way of his and tell her that no matter how much he tried, he could never come close to mothering everyone around the way James did. It was quite an eye opener for her when she found out that James Potter, pranker extraordinaire and father of Harry Potter, was a mother hen that could get people to do anything with just a glare and pinched lips. Apparently, he even had the hands-on-his-waist thing down pat.  _ It was all Mrs. P, though,  _ Sirius would say,  _ She was the one whom he got all of it from.  _

 

Sirius took Hermione’s hand, entwining their fingers together and led them inside the huge building. Hermione could just see the construction going on beside the ground, and shook her head fondly. It seemed like there was always some sort of renovation going on here, always expanding. Even though, at first, Harry and Sirius used their own money for the project, over time, they got so many donations and grants they stopped taking money out of their own vaults. 

 

“Hermione, Mr. Black!” A voice called out from somewhere to their left. 

 

They turned towards the direction of the voice, to see Bree standing at the doorway of the playroom, surrounded by a gaggle of giggling kids. 

 

Hermione smiled as they changed directions to walk towards her. “Hey, Bree. You look like you have your hands full.” 

 

“Ah yes, it’s saturday and you know how the little rascals get when it’s Ice Cream Day,” she flicked one of the kids, a small girl about five years old, on the nose making her shriek and run around to Bree’s other side. 

 

“You guys got here just in time, actually,” she continued. “You can deal with the distribution of the ice cream, I’ll get going!” 

 

She untangled herself from the invading hands of the children and walked forward so that she was standing right in front of Sirius and Hermione. 

 

“I have a big date tonight, you see,” she winked conspiratorially at Hermione, making her laugh. 

 

“I get it, I get it. Now, go, or else you’ll be late,” she made shooing motions with her hand and Bree walked away laughing. 

 

“Make sure to lock up behind you!” she called over her shoulder. 

 

Sirius shook her head at her before turning back to the children. Just in time as well, too, since most of them had by then realized that Sirius was going to be staying there with them. This realization meant that the overactive bundles of excitement came running and leaping at Sirius, bringing him to his knees at the sheer force of their attack. 

 

“Woah, woah, calm down there kids, I’m right here!” he laughed, turning this way and that, trying his best to greet every little kid who chattered on at him.

 

Hermione just stood back, smiling softly at the commotion in front of her. If there was  _ anyone  _ the kids at the School liked as much as Harry, it was Sirius. Of course, given a choice, they would always run to Harry, but their Siri was the next best thing for them. 

 

“It’s been so long since you visited, Siri! 

 

“Did you bring candies?” 

 

“Can you read me a story tonight?” 

 

“NO! He’ll read ME a story!” 

 

“No, he’s going to bake a cake with me!” 

 

Soon, the children started fighting amongst themselves, arguing over who would get to spend time with SIrius doing what. She saw Sirius shaking his head in fond exasperation at them, before bringing his fingers to his lips and letting out a shrill, piercing dog whistle that shut everyone up in a matter of seconds.

 

“Good, now that I have your attention……” 

 

His words drowned out as a small hand tugged at the hem of her skirt. Hermione looked down to see Iris looking up at her with wide blue-grey eyes. Long eyelashes blinked at her shyly. 

 

Hermione mentally awwed at her before bending down to lift the 6 year old up into her arms. 

 

“Hi, Mione,” Iris greeted quietly. 

 

Hermione smiled. “Hey, sweetheart. How are you?” 

 

“I’m good, thank you. And you?” It never failed to amuse Hermione how Iris always had impeccable manners. Manners, that always seemed to fall apart in Harry’s presence. He had a way of getting even the most reserved kids to open up to him. It never failed to awe her, because she’d always had trouble around children either treating them as though they were very tiny little kids with no brains of their own or like they were adults her own age. 

 

It was one of the reasons why she had bonded so quickly with Iris, because she often appeared smarter than most people would expect of her age. The reason for her precocity, however, was very tragic. 

 

She was one of the orphans of the War, and one of the first children to stay at the School. It’s also because of that that she was one of the closest to Harry, Hermione and Sirius. They loved all kids equally, but there were just some they were more fond of than others. 

 

“I’m wonderful,” Hermione replied warmly. “So, are you excited for ice cream as well?”

 

“I’ll be fine if I don't get ice cream,” she shrugged. 

 

“But you're still looking forward to it, aren't you?” Hermione pressed. “If I recall correctly, you were always particularly fond of Cookies and Cream.” 

 

“Well, yes. It is my favorite,” Iris conceded after mulling over it for a while. Hermione smiled at her reticence. It wasn't unusual for her to discourage herself from wanting something until she actually had it, believing that it was far easier for her to not set herself up for any sort of disappointment. It was not ideal for a child, a  _ 6 year old,  _ to be thinking that way but it was how she had grown up. The three years after the War, before she had come to the School had not been kind to her. Even now, she never fully talked about it, and Harry, who knew the most out of them, never said anything. 

 

“Hey, Mione!” She heard Sirius shout and looked over at him, smiling when she found him in the midst of all the children. 

 

“Everyone’s ready for ice cream, then?” she asked knowingly. Sirius grinned sheepishly and nodded. 

 

“What are we waiting for then? Let’s go!” 

 

 

 

 

When everyone had gotten their favorite ice cream- the best part about The School was that it always had a generous amount of almost every flavor of ice cream available at any given time- Sirius led all of them to the game room. It was barely 7, not bedtime and none of them wanted to go to sleep when Sirius was there anyway. It sometimes amazed Hermione how much these kids adored him. But then she’d look at him interacting with the kids, and all doubts and wonder vanished, leaving only a sense of contentment behind. 

 

She never thought that after the War, she would ever be able to call her life content, or just be happy. She had resigned herself to a life filled with unfulfilled desires, dreams of a better world, broken hearts and aching souls. A life that was shadowed by the doubt and fear and anxiety that they had all faced during that time. A life that was not a life, but just an existence. 

 

She had resigned herself to all of that, accepted it with a weary heart because the War had left them all feeling like they’d ages decades in a matter of years. 

 

But now? Sitting in the middle of the game room, surrounded by kids of all ages laughing and giggling and playing around, her, well, boyfriend chasing them and taking them for horse rides on his back and gives them piggybacks, it seemed like  the life she had thought she’d be living was not an option anymore. Because as Harry’s smiling face entered the room, and she saw each and every kid’s eyes light up at the sight of his face, she realized that maybe she had underestimated herself. Not just herself, but every single person who had survived through the War. 

 

And as she got up to swing a giggling Iris into her arms and over and over and over just the way she liked, she realized that she wouldn't give this up for the world. She would go through all of it again just so she could be in this, with these people, laughing the way they did. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this one's short, and it doesnt have a lot and I apologize, but I did not get a lot of time to write this week (more like, maybe half an hour max) and I totally ran out of inspiration.   
> I still hope you guys liked it, comments are always welcome :")


	7. 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!   
> I am so, so sorry for the late update but first I was on vacation and then I was drowning in school work (and I still am, tbh) so I did not have any time to write.   
> So if this feels disjointed, it's because the whole chapter has been written in uninspired pieces over the course of a month. I really hope the next one is better. 
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy this, don't forget to leave a comment!

She was standing in front of Harry's room, nervously rubbing her toe into the carpet. She had been in the same position for around ten minutes but she just couldn't stop her palms from sweating and her heart from beating too hard. Her mind flashed back to the conversation she'd just had with Sirius prior to her standing outside her best friend's room like an idiot.

_Hermione was dressed in a pair of light blue cotton pyjamas, her curly hair up in a high messy bun. She had her reading glasses perched on the bridge of her nose and the sight of her looking up at him like so did some serious things to Sirius. He shook his head lightly to rid himself of such thoughts, knowing they would do nothing but distract him._

" _So, I was thinking we should probably tell Harry now," Sirius stated._

_Hermione nodded in agreement before a hesitant look flashed over her features and she bit her lip. "Uh, what exactly do I say to him though?"_

_Sirius tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean?"_

_Her tongue darted out to wet her suddenly dry lips. "We-ll, it's just, we never really discussed this did we? I mean, yeah, I basically accosted you regarding this but we haven't really_ talked  _about what we are you know?"_

_Comprehension dawned in Sirius' grey eyes and he smiled softly at Hermione, recognizing the moment for what it was. He took her hand and led her to his bed, sitting down on it and tugging her onto his lap. She slipped her arms around his neck and him around her waist._

" _We can be whatever you want us to be, whatever you want to call us," he assured her. "The only thing I ask for is exclusivity."_

_Hermione suddenly nodded so frantically her glasses almost fell into her lap. "I-Of course we're exclusive. Completely, totally exclusive. I would never disrespect you by suggesting otherwise."_

_Sirius planted a soft kiss to her temple before continuing. "Now that that's settled, do you want to tell him alone or do you want me to do it? Or, would you prefer both of us to be there?"_

_Hermione thought about it for a while, considering the best option before replying, "I think it'll be better coming from me. We really can't predict his reaction and just to be on the safe side, I think I should be the one to break it to him."_

_Sirius barked out a short laugh at her words, his eyes dancing with amusement. "It seems more like we're telling him someone died instead of our relationship."_

_Hermione huffed. "You know we need to be prepared for all scenarios."_

" _Of course, sweetheart," Sirius cooed, although the amusement never left him. Hermione saw it too and her lips merely quirked in fond exasperation._

It had been easy to volunteer then. Now, however, it made her wonder why she had taken the job so quickly, without giving a single thought as to  _how_ she would do it. Objectively, she knew she shouldn't worry and that Harry would only care about her happiness because he was precious like that, but she also couldn't help but think he'd be disgusted or jealous or angry or hurt or anything remotely similar to that. Why he would feel anything like that, she didn't know but rationality and logic seemed like a faraway dream right now. Just as she took another deep breath, however, the door opened, causing Hermione to squeak in surprise.

"I've been waiting for you to come in since the moment you let out your fifth sigh," Harry stated with a slight smirk on his face.

Hermione flushed at his words but entered his room nonetheless. She absently noted Harry was shirtless and turned to him with questioning eyes.

He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, cheeks coloring lightly. "I-I just woke up."

Hermione blinked. "You  _just_ woke up? Harry, it's almost 2 in the afternoon!"

"Yes, well, everyone can't go around waking up at downright inhumane times like you, Mione!" Harry replied defensively. Hermione sighed before changing the subject to what she had originally come in to talk to him about.

"Okay, so I didn't come here to harp on you about your despicable sleeping habits. I know it won't do anything. I needed to talk to you about something," she started, wringing her fingers around anxiously.

"O-kay. I'm listening," Harry sat down on one side of his bed and motioned for Hermione to sit on the other side.

Hermione exhaled deeply. "Sirius and I..have...this..thing going."

Harry tilted his head to the side with a questioning look in his bright emerald eyes. He made a noise telling her to continue.

"We're..uh dating now?" She winced when she realized she had phrased her words more as a question than a statement.

Harry blinked rapidly as her words registered in his brain and he sat up straight from where he was leaning back on the headboard.

"Say  _what?"_ he exclaimed.

Hermione looked down at her lap where she was almost violently twisting and turning her fingers. "I said, Sirius and I are dating."

She closed her eyes tightly waiting for the inevitable outburst. When it didn't come, she opened her eyes and confusion seeped into her hazel eyes when she saw Harry turned away from her, his shoulders shaking. She slowly lifted one hand from her lap to place it on his shoulder, jerking it back almost immediately when she felt how violently he was rocking. She stood up, alarmed and was about to call out when she heard it.

Giggles. Slow, contained giggles that were slowly turning into high pitched monstrosities. Her eyes widened in disbelief when she realized Harry was laughing, presumably at her. She stared at him incredulously when he started laughing raucously, like some sort of an idiot.

"Oh, Mione," Harry gasped out in between his laughter, clutching his stomach. "I knew there was something going on, I just couldn't figure out what. I thought maybe you walked in on the other getting off in the shower or something, that's why you were so weird around each other, but guess not."

Hermione's face burned bright red at his words but she ignored it in favor of other, more crucial matters. Such as how Harry genuinely appeared unconcerned. This was what she had hoped for, but she would make sure he was completely fine with it before getting her hopes up.

"Are you saying you don't have a problem with this, with us?" she asked hesitantly.

Harry shook his head, finally going back to normal. "Oh no, not at all. I mean, yeah, it's incredibly weird that you two are shagging now but who am I to deny you both your relationship if it makes you happy? Merlin knows you two deserve it."

Hermione bit her lip at his words before going over to where he was sitting and pulling him into a tight hug. "Thank you. Just-you, you don't know how much this means."

Harry ruffled her hair playfully, his other hand tightening on her waist. "Did you really think I would mind, Hermione? You didn't bat an eyelid when I told you about Daphne, why would I be any different?"

Hermione pulled back slightly so that Harry could see the sheepish expression on her face. "Oh Harry, you know me right? I have to worry and fret about everything, it's what I do, what I'm best at."

Harry laughed, the sound vibrating through his chest. "Ah, don't I know it better than anyone else. Hell, I pretty sure anyone who knew you during OWLs knows of your habits." Hermione slapped his shoulder at that, only getting a cheeky grin in return from the black haired man.

She leaned forward to rest her cheek on his shoulder and closed her eyes as she felt his hand rubbing her back. The warmth she could feel radiating from his hand reminded her that she had no reason to be worried. This was Harry. She had been panicking for nothing.

A knock on the door a few seconds later, however, caused them to separate. Hermione got up off the bed to open the door, revealing Sirius. He was dressed casually in a pair of distressed muggle jeans, something he had come to love over the years, and a button down.

"Everything okay?" he enquired, sending a meaningful glance towards Hermione, noticing her relaxed posture and smiling face.

"Everything's perfect," It was Harry who answered. He had gone up to get a t-shirt for himself and was in the process of pulling it over his head.

"Oh?"

"Oh yes, Hermione told me everything and I'm very happy for you guys. The age difference can get weird but somehow, and I never thought I'd say this, it works. Even if I'm slightly pissed you guys didn't tell me earlier. If I'm correct, then this has been going on for at least a couple weeks now."

Sirius looked at him in shock. "How'd you figure that out so quickly pup?"

Harry smirked. "I'm not as oblivious as people like to think I am, dear godfather."

Sirius shook his head in bemusement. "And here we thought we were so clever, keeping it a successful secret." He looked at Hermione who just shrugged.

"The reason we didn't tell you was because we wanted to get used to the idea first as well, Harry. It was quite new for both of us as well, and we didn't want to bring you into it without knowing where we were standing ourselves," Hermione explained, hoping Harry understood what she was trying to say.

Harry gave her a look. "I was kidding, Hermione. I don't mind. Just make sure you lock your room or leave a sock on the doorknob if you're planning on uh...knocking boots anywhere in the house."

He dodged the Stinging Hex Hermione sent his way with a loud laugh and ran out the room with a 'behave, children' to escape his best friend's wrath. His laughter could be heard as he climbed down the stairs.

Hermione shook her head in exasperation and just as she was about to turn towards Sirius, the door slammed shut, locking of its own accord and muscular arms wrapped around her midsection from behind. She tilted her neck to the side as she felt a kiss being placed just under her right ear, sucking on the sensitive area softly. She could feel his mouth traveling downwards on her neck, blowing and nibbling gently, most definitely splattering her neck with bite marks and hickeys.

Hermione let out a sigh when Sirius started sucking on her pulse point, while simultaneously undoing the buttons on her pyjama top. Her breath hitched as his fingers trailed upward in the valley between her breaths, his hands having complete access due to the absence of a bra.

"Let's lend some truth to his words, yes?" Sirius muttered in her ear, his voice deep with need. Hermione shuddered as hot breath washed over the side of her face, but then his words registered in her mind. She had thought over it for but a second when her lips curled up in a devilish smirk.

Suddenly, she turned around causing Sirius' mouth to leave her collarbone with a pop, and his hands to fall away from her chest. Her now open pyjama top was barely covering her breasts, sternum on full display. She took one step forward so their chests were touching. They were so close that she could see how his beautiful grey eyes were dilated due to the lust that was coursing through both of their veins. She thought about how this was what she had signed up for initially and how she had a chance now so she would make the most of it.

She took his face in her fingers and smashed their mouths together roughly. She could feel his surprise in the way he didn't respond to her at first but when she nudged at his lips with her tongue, he let out a tiny growl and started moving his mouth in tune with hers, his fingers easily releasing her hair from the bun she had placed it in earlier. Their tongues mashed together, fighting for dominance neither was willing to just hand over to the other. Hermione, however, relented after a while for she had other plans on her mind for the time and she felt like she could concede this one tiny thing. As their mouths were moving together, she started walking forward, causing Sirius to walk backward until his knees hit the bedpost. Hermione broke away from him for a second; just enough to push him onto the bed, before she climbed up onto it herself, carefully straddling his waist and placing herself deliberately over his growing bulge.

She ground down on him once, twice, relishing in the husky groan that escaped from Sirius' mouth. Her lips quirked up in a smirk at the power that coursed through her veins at that sound and she rubbed herself harder against him.

"Ungh, Mione!" Sirius groaned out, his fingers digging into her waist, probably leaving bruises there but she couldn't bring herself to care at that moment.

She took hold of her top which was surprisingly still covering her chest, and slowly, tantalizingly, slid it off her shoulders. She relished in the way the action caused Sirius' smoky grey eyes darken to an almost black. She licked her lips at the lust and anticipation she saw in them.

In the blink of an eye, Sirius had moved forward to take one perfectly round nipple in his hot mouth, causing Hermione to whimper at the sensations that traveled through her body at the contact. She arched her back and buried her fingers in his hair in an attempt to bring him closer. He complied easily, running his fingers down the length of her spine under it reached the curve of her ass. She moaned lightly when his fingers squeezed her ass. Sirius had now moved on to the other nipple, licking and sucking on it with ravenous pleasure. His other hand, which had been tightly holding onto her waist previously, was now stroking the soft flesh of her stomach and thighs.

Hermione could feel him everywhere on her body and it was becoming slightly overwhelming for her. It seemed as if Sirius could feel her anxiety because he pulled back, and his fingers stilled. He had a slight smile on his face, and his eyes had softened, though they were still darkened with lust.

"Too fast?" he asked gently. Hermione was about to nod when something struck her.

Why did she think it was too fast? Wasn't this exactly what she had wanted? Why was she so hesitant then? It wasn't like she was being forced into anything? She frowned slightly at her inner monologue, her eyebrows furrowing at the movement and then shook her head to clear her thoughts.

She took a deep breath and uttered just one word. "No."

And with that, she wandlessly Vanished Sirius' shirt, eyes going straight to the hard planes of muscle she could see, and feel. She immediately dived forward with plans of devouring everything in sight and she only barely heard the chuckle that left the raven haired man's lips as her lips latched onto his left nipple. She slowly swirled her tongue around his hardened nub, aiming to give him the same amount of pleasure he had given her and more. She sucked lightly and used her front teeth to scrape over the area very lightly, smirking at the groan that elicited from the man below her. When she was finished, she moved onto the right one, lavishing it with the same treatment.

Hermione then bit and licked her way down to his navel, where she dipped her tongue in, hoping to Merlin she was doing it right. When she withdrew, she took a deep breath and Vanished his pant, leaving him in loose silk boxers. She heard Sirius draw in a breath at the action and looked up at him with a smile, hoping it was reassuring like she wanted it to be and not nervous and shaky. She saw the doubt and question in Sirius' eyes and nodded to tell him that yes, she was sure.

She slowly ran a hand over the bulge she could clearly see under his boxers before slipping one finger under the band and slowly pulling it down, revealing a magnificent cock that left her salivating and aching to try it. She ran a hand over the long length of it, familiarizing herself with the plains and ridges, relishing in the sigh that it managed to elicit from the man it belonged to.

After pumping it slowly a few times, she slowly bent down to take the tip in her mouth, swirling her tongue around his slit, making Sirius hiss in surprised pleasure. Hermione smiled triumphantly and opened her mouth wider to take more of his thick girth in. She slowly, carefully, bobbed her head up and down, making sure to sheath her teeth. One hand was pumping the rest of his cock that she wasn't able to reach, and the other was lightly fondling his balls.

Sirius, on his part, had his hands buried in her thick hair, trying very hard not to just push her onto his cock and evidently restraining himself. His eyes were squeezed shut and he was taking deep breaths to control his reactions and the effect Hermione's hot mouth was having on him.

Hermione hollowed her cheeks, and hummed slightly, going deeper, causing Sirius to release a husky moan that went straight to her nether regions. Encouraged by his response, she took him even deeper, enjoying the way he hit the back of her throat.

"Mione...love….if you keep...mhmmm yes….this going, then...I won't be able to...aghh..last..long," Sirius breathed all of a sudden.

And Hermione, instead of stopping, as he had expected, just sucked harder on his cock. Not a second later, Sirius came in her mouth with a loud groan. Hermione greedily swallowed as much as she could, but unable to keep up with it, some of it fell onto her chest.

Suddenly, she felt herself being pushed up and into the arms of one highly aroused Sirius Black.

She grinned sheepishly at his raised eyebrow. "What was that?"

"Well," she began, "I really wanted to try it out."

Sirius' eyebrow raised higher at her matter of fact tone before he broke down in hysterical laughter. "Oh Mione, where have you been all my life?"

Hermione just smiled and snuggled closer to him, surreptitiously casting a cleaning charm over them so they could be more comfortable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be in direct continuation of this because Hermione can't be left unattended, can she? ;)


	8. 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah, an update. What a wonder, right? 
> 
> Heh, I'm really sorry for the eons-late update but exam time and just yeah, I'd lost all inspiration for this and it's coming back to hit me full force at 1:30 am, 7 hours before my exam. Fun. 
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy, do tell me what you though :")

"Oh no no, you don't think we're done that easily, do you?" Sirius asked her in that husky tone.

Hermione turned to look at him with furrowed eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean, my love," he continued. "Is that you need to be tended to as well."

Hermione blushed lightly when realization hit her but who was she to pass up an opportunity like this? Sirius, upon seeing her agreement, merely grinned and pulled her closer. Their lips had just met in a kiss when the door burst open, causing Hermione to shriek and pull the comforter up to her neck in an effort to hide her state of undress.

"Holy Merlin, you guys," A disgusted looking Harry glared at them. "You really couldn't find  _any_ other bed in this huge house? Really?"

Sirius, rarely ashamed of anything, merely grinned. "What can I say, dear godson of mine? Your bed is just oh so comfortable!"

Harry's mouth dropped open at his blatant admission that they had indeed engaged in  _certain_ activities on his bed. Hermione, for her part, kept her blush to a minimum and quickly grabbed her wand to conjure up some clothes for herself, feeling much more comfortable and in control when she was appropriately dressed.

She stepped out of Sirius' arms and after a moment of awkwardly looking around, turned to Harry. "I'm really sorry, I'll make it up to you?"

Harry's glare lessened in intensity at her words. "Oh? And how are you going to do that?"

Hermione floundered for an answer but her eyes lit up as an idea came to her. "I'll take over the School for a week! You can go to Jordan like you've been wanting to."

The raven haired man slowly nodded as the merits of her idea became apparent. He  _had_ been wanting to go to Jordan for about six months now but he couldn't very well have taken such a long time off the School, left everything to Bree, and gone frolicking off into the sunset.

If Mione offered to take care of the school, which would undoubtedly mean Sirius would as well, then there wouldn't be an issue of Bree having to shoulder everything. It was the perfect idea!

"Ah Mione," beamed Harry, reaching forward to take the fiercely blushing, half naked brunette in his arms, "I knew there was a reason I loved you. You're the best!"

"Harry," Sirius began, "Hermione's kind of, not dressed right now?" He looked pointedly at his godson who backed away sheepishly, hand rubbing the back of his neck.

"I know, I know, but it really doesn't bother her, or me. I mean, we spent over a year on the run, there's actually nothing I haven't seen. She's just more embarrassed I walked in on you guys," he explained nonchalantly.

Sirius turned to Hermione with a raised eyebrow, silently asking if Harry was right. She just shrugged meekly. "I mean, it IS true. You don't have really have the luxury of privacy in a tent, however magical it might be. And after a while, we just gave up on modesty and feeling embarrassed around each other because to be quite crude, we didn't have the time to worry about things like that."

"It's not like we would walk around naked on purpose," Harry continued in that same nonchalant tone, "but we stopped caring if someone walked in on us changing or taking a shower because things like nudity and shame seemed really,  _really_ inconsequential when you were worried about when you'd die, either due to the bad guys, starvation, frostbite or just pure irritation at the other."

"And also," Hermione broke in, not noticing Sirius' rapidly twitching brow, "there were a couple times when we were in the middle of showering or something and another barged in because we had been compromised, or were close to being compromised, and had to leave."

"Jerking off was hard work too," Harry laughed. "We were stressed enough already without adding sexual frustration on top of it. It's a wonder there were no explosive threesomes in that tent." Hermione snorted at that, actually marveling at their restraint now that they were no longer in such a war-ridden atmosphere.

"It was really that bad for you guys?" Sirius asked through gritted teeth, his fists clenching and unclenching at the thought of three barely seventeen-year-olds having to worry about things like starving to death or being killed anytime.

Harry and Hermione, who were too busy reminiscing till now, able to find the not as bad parts about the War now that a long enough time had passed to soothe their wounds, only just noticed how tightly wound Sirius was. They looked at each other with identical 'oh shit' expressions, knowing that they had taken it too far without understanding their audience  _again._ They were able to talk about the War without having panic attacks or flashbacks or PTSD triggers now, and could even talk about some things lightly, but the two of them sometimes failed to realize not everyone could.

"Uh-" Harry started, his mouth opening and closing, but no words escaping. He turned to Hermione with a pleading expression, silently begging her to step in and relieve him.

Hermione took a deep breath, wondering how they went from talking about Sirius' and her sexual activities, to bribing Harry to  _this._

"Uh, see, Siri, it's-," she stuttered out, trying to figure out what she could say to make this situation better.

"Just tell me one thing. Was it really that bad for you three?" Sirius grit out.

Hermione sighed, knowing they couldn't do anything but answer him straight up.

"Yes. Yes, it was." Immediately, his grey eyes flared with unrestrained anger and a growl left his mouth. Hermione immediately turned to him and held his face between her fingers. Unfortunately, this wasn't the first time she had had to calm him down after Harry, Ron or she had accidentally slipped up and spoken about their time on the run. It always brought forth this reaction from him. Even though it had been over 5 years since the war had ended, Sirius still didn't know all the details of what the three of them had endured in that one year on the run, and they wanted to keep it that way. They didn't want to cause him any more pain than he had already suffered, but sometimes, like times like this, they slipped up.

"You know there was nothing we could've done. There was nothing  _you_ could've done," Hermione stressed, knowing where the issue lay. Sirius had felt incredibly guilty when he found out the three of them had left. They, knowing what his reaction would have been, had wisely decided not to tell him of their plan and had just quietly done their packing and left. He was furious, at first. But over time, the anger melted away into guilt, and fear, and anxiety. Not being able to communicate with them at all, and not knowing how they were or what condition they were in had almost driven in insane, especially since his 12-year stint in Azkaban had left him more emotionally vulnerable than most.

During the Final Battle, he had almost crushed them to death with the desperate hug he had pulled the three of them in as soon as he saw them. It was an incredibly emotionally devastating period for all of them, and took a long time to get past.

But due to Sirius' past, Azkaban, and losses in life, he wasn't able to get past the War in the way the trio had. He couldn't even talk about it, and humor as a way of coping was nowhere near what he could bear at this point. That was why they tried their best to not mention anything War related around him.

"I-I know, but it was, it's still, you guys went through-I just," he stumbled over his words, not quite able to put his incoherent thoughts into words.

Harry put his hand on his godfather's shoulder, stopping him from saying anything else. "Sirius. Listen. It was bad, I won't lie, and we can't even say if it was necessary, but it is over and that is the most important thing right now. It's over, we're here and we're  _okay._ We might be a little broken, a little scratched up, but we're here. And I  _need_ you to remember that, okay?" His words were firm, but gentle. Stern, but soothing.

The haze cleared from Sirius' eyes, his shoulders slumped and he nodded tightly. "I-ah, yes. You-You're right and I-I'm sorry, Harry, but I just worry, you know I can't help it." He stared at Harry with a pleading look in his grey eyes that broke Hermione's heart, but Harry stayed strong. He nodded at Sirius understandingly.

"I know, Sirius, I get it," he then got a mischievous look in his eyes, a stark contrast from his previous expression of worry and anxiety. "Now, there's a naked woman with you in the bed, why don't you tend to her, eh?"

"Harry!" Hermione snapped in exasperation, "Really?"

Harry grinned at her, hands raised in a gesture of innocence, "What? I'm just saying."

Sirius shook his head in fondness, recognizing what Harry was trying to do. "I'm sure you'd appreciate it if we get out of your bed, though, huh?"

Harry scowled at that, albeit playfully, "Yes, please. I would need to throw these sheets away now, and they were one of my favorites too!"

Hermione just waved her hand at him, "Oh, don't be so dramatic, Harry. It doesn't suit you."

The saviour of the Wizarding World just stuck her tongue out at her, arms crossed and foot tapping on the hardwood floor. "I'm waiting, you guys."

Sirius sighed, a heavy put upon exaggerated sound that made Harry snort and Hermione giggle before he got off the bed, quickly waving his wand to clothe his lower body before his godson saw something he wouldn't appreciate. He then turned to Hermione, offering her a hand to help her climb out of the bed.

"I'll see you around," Hermione told him as he placed a kiss on Harry's cheek. He smiled at her and nodded in Sirius' direction.

When they reached Sirius' room, he turned to Hermione with an apologetic look on his face.

"I am so,  _so_ sorry for that, Hermione, I ju-" he was cut off when Hermione placed her palm over his mouth, effectively silencing him.

"Sirius, I get it. Really. It's not your fault, if anyone's, it Harry's and my fault for talking about with in such a blase attitude. There's no shame in still being affected by the War, especially after everything that's happened to you, and I wouldn't let you drown yourself in pity because you couldn't handle certain things. Lord knows there are times when Ron, or Harry, or I fall apart because of a mere word, or visual. This is no different. Harry and I just have to be more careful from now on," she countered fiercely, knowing that Sirius  _needed_ reassurance.

Sirius opened his mouth to say something but almost immediately closed it shut with a defeated look on his face, his shoulders slumping. Hermione looked at him with her head tilted to one side, before an idea hit her and taking Harry's lead, she said innocently.

"Now, didn't you say something about me being tended as well? Because I quite distinctly recall something like that happening," one finger was on her chin and her face was in look of deep concentration, eyes slightly narrowed. Sirius looked at her with slight disbelief before releasing a bark of laughter.

He bent down to pick her up bridal style, kissing her on the cheek. "Oh sweetheart, how I adore you so," he placed her very gently on the bed. "Tend to you, I will. You just lay back and enjoy."

Hermione smiled indulgently, glad her plan was working out so well. She got Sirius to put his demons behind him, at least for now, AND she got something out of it as well. She put her hands behind her head and closed her eyes, waiting eagerly.

Sirius, meanwhile, was slowly, carefully dragging her pyjama bottoms down her legs, revealing an expanse of creamy skin that he was just itching to lick and kiss all over. As he reached her foot, he lifted her knees slightly to get her out of the offending garments and looked her over appreciatively. She was spread on his bed, hair splayed out around her, face wonderfully flushed and on display. All for him. Sometimes he wondered how he got so lucky as to be able to be here, in this position, but at this time he didn't have for any of that because he had a gorgeous woman under him waiting for him.

He pushed her top up and started kissing the skin just under her bust, leaving a trail of kisses downward until he reached her navel, tracing his tongue around it. He quickly moved downward, eager to get to the part he was most excited about. He reached a patch of neatly trimmed pubic hair, which somehow got him as excited as a twelve-year-old who was actually noticing a pair of boobs for the first time which was...disconcerting because no one had ever managed to elicit such a reaction from him. But this was Hermione, and no one ever said she was just 'anyone'.

As he reached her slit, which looked just as small and petite as the rest of her, he brought two fingers to separate the outer lips, revealing a gorgeous sight beneath. He sighed in pleasure as the scent of her arousal hit him full force. As he parted her fold with his fingers, he bent and licked a straight line from the bottom right up to her clit, moaning as he did. The vibration that this action produced caused Hermione to gasp from above him. He then gave up on his slow speed and quite literally  _went in._ His tongue was swirling around her clit, as his fingers pumped in and out at an alarming rate. He didn't want to take this slow and tender, that could be reserved for their first time, or maybe even after that. He wanted her to experience pleasure in all forms and this was how he was going to start. He wanted to give her a taste of what being with him would be like; hard, fast and rough.

Judging by the moans coming from above him, and the writhing of Hermione's body, she quite liked what he was doing. He smirked slightly and focused on his task.

Hermione was in  _heaven._ She knew it would be good, (hell, looking at the man who would think otherwise?) but she never  _anticipated_ it could be this delightful. She could feel the fire running through her veins, delicious but leaving a slight burn. There was a tightly coiled…. _something_ in her belly that she was aching to release, and yet she didn't want it to go away. It was doing wonders to her body and she wanted it to end, and stay that way at the same time. Her thoughts had ceased to make sense with that first feel of Sirius' lick at her center. She gripped her fingers tightly in his raven hair and pressed his face closer to her, wanting more, the sight of his head between her thighs doing sinful things to her.

Suddenly, all sensations stopped and with a low growl, she was just about to get up when something touched her clit again, filling her with a feeling much more potent than before. Sirius was sucking on her clit, not very lightly either, and it was doing wondrous things that she didn't even know her body was capable of. None of the few men before Sirius had ever managed to make her feel remotely like this and just that thought alone made her  _very_ glad she had decided to approach him with this proposition for it had turned out much better than she had initially thought.

Hermione cried out as a sudden explosion of shockwaves took place across her entire body. It felt like all her nerves senses were heightened with extreme pleasure and she could feel stars burning on her eyelids. Throughout all this, she could  _still feel Sirius' mouth on her core, lapping and sucking with enthusiasm_ which was hotter than she thought.

As she slowly came down from her high, she looked down at Sirius with a slack jaw.

"Tha-that was the hardest I've ever come," she stuttered out, still in shock.

Sirius grinned, eyes lighting up with pride at her words. He hoisted himself up, laid down beside her and using a quick cleaning charm on his mouth, bent down to kiss her slowly. It was a feather light kiss, a mere touch but it was enough.

"Now is when you decide to go slow, huh?" Hermione commented when they pulled apart with his forehead resting lightly on hers, making him laugh and pull her closer to him.

"That was wonderful, thank you," she said after a few seconds, snuggling into his chest while curled up in a fetal position. His arm was wrapped around her, and hers was around his waist and it was warm, comfortable and the perfect position for her to enjoy her post-almost coital bliss.

Sirius placed a gentle kiss on the crown of her head, and she could feel the smile in his voice as he said, "Nothing for you to thank, Mione. This was wonderful for me too."

Hermione, spent from all the happenings of the day, from worrying about Harry's reaction to everything that happened after that and this, just smiled sleepily and with her head resting against his collarbone, dozed off, her thoughts full of wonderful images of a tattooed, raven haired man and his magical fingers.


	9. 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a lot of inner monologues and thoughts, but I hope the next one would make up for it! It has Daphne in it ;) 
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy, don't forget to leave a comment!

Hermione rolled her shoulders and let out a long breath as soon as she closed the bathroom door behind her. While she loved and absolutely  _adored_ the kids at the School, they were quite a handful and she had forgotten that. It had been a while since she took over the School for longer than a few hours and even though it was just the second day, she could see it was taking its toll on her.

Some days, she truly wondered if Harry was a superhero or something of that sort. Today was one of those days. Because she really couldn't understand how he managed to handle everything on his own because even with Bree, it was still a lot of work.

She splashed her face with water, immediately feeling better. A fond smile blossomed on her face as she remembered the day Harry had left.

" _Hermione," Harry fretted, again. "You sure you don't mi-"_

_He was cut off by Hermione crossing her arms and giving him an exasperated look. "Really, Harry? This again? I thought I made it clear that you are not to worry about this for the rest of the week. Or was I wrong?"_

_Harry saw the dangerous stance she had taken and immediately backtracked, holding his hands up. "No no no no, you made it very clear, I-yeah, I'll just be going_ very  _quietly. Yeah." An angry Hermione was not one to be messed with, he knew. From experience._

_Hermione dropped her annoyed look and immediately started shaking her head at him, albeit in an amused way. "Oh Harry, you're such an idiot. Come here." With that, she opened her arms wide, a clear indication for him to come hug her. He did so dutifully without complaint._

_Hermione could feel him almost melting into her arms and her heart went out to him. She knew that he had been pretty stressed the past few weeks. Daphne had come into the School a couple more times since her initial visit and somehow, Harry had managed to evade her every time. She knew it was only a matter of time until they both met, because for one, he couldn't keep hiding at his own school and it's just not possible that Daphne didn't know who the School belonged to. The minute Harry announced its opening, the media had gone bonkers and the School was the only thing on every front page was quite some time. Even now, if there was anything significant revolving it, like a big donation (though Lord knows how they'd get a hold of information like that) or a charity gala for it, it still hit the front page._

_That just went to show how much people were still obsessed with Harry, even though almost 6 years had gone by since their 'Savior' had defeated the Dark Lord._

_Daphne, however, was proving to be a pain in the ass. Not Harry's, never Harry's but for Hermione and to an extent, Sirius. Either she was trying to very hard to ignore him, which is why she hadn't confronted him yet and it did sort of make sense she would bring her son there because there was no other Wizarding establishment of that kind, or she was dropping subtle hints that she wanted to meet him, or more. Either way, she was sending very mixed signals. And Hermione didn't like it._

_In fact, she was kind of hoping Daphne would come in during this time that Harry was out of the country and she would be manning the School. She was also hoping that it was her that Daphne encountered and not Sirius, because, well, that just wouldn't be good for her overall health._

_And much as Hermione didn't like Daphne right now, she would also not want her to disappear without a trace._

_Much too soon, in her opinion anyway, Harry moved back, a wry smile on his face. Before he could speak, though, Hermione cupped his face in her hands tenderly. Her brown eyes searched his face, coming to rest on his emerald green eyes that were always so expressive. Right now, they were radiating love, and tenderness, and excitement, and just a tiny sliver of fear._

" _Promise me, Harry, promise me that you'll enjoy this week," she whispered, not needing to raise her voice with how close they were._

" _Promise me that you'll remove any thoughts of_ her  _from your head and just live your life like you used to three years ago. That you won't let her ruin this for you. Because, Harry, I know why you stopped travelling and I know why you settled down so quickly and so rapidly, and it wasn't just because of the School."_

" _Promise me." Her fingers tightened ever so slightly, not enough to make a significant difference but enough that it was clear to Harry how deeply she felt about this._

_Harry looked at her without saying anything, just examining her. After a few moments, he spoke, his voice deep and filled with emotion._

" _I promise, Hermione. I promise I'll do everything I can to enjoy this, and I won't think about her."_

_Hermione closed her eyes and breathed in relief, a weight she didn't know was pressing down on her released from her chest and she felt lighter._

_She didn't say anything. For her, words were redundant right now and she had said all that she had to. She merely reached up to place a tender kiss on his forehead, their roles somehow reversed._

_Harry stepped back again, but this time he ran his knuckles down the side of her face. This moment was passionate, and emotional. It was much needed._

" _Thank you, Hermione, for everything. You'll always be first in my life, regardless of whatever happens with her," he murmured, eyes soft with love._

_Hermione smiled, realizing with a start that she needed this reassurance. What was even more surprising was Harry had noticed it before her._

_Their friendship had always been closer than other best friends, physically and emotionally. They weren't just friends, and they were more than family._

' _They were just Harry and Hermione,' she thought affectionately, 'there was no other way to put it.'_

A sudden knock on the door startled her out of her thoughts. "Mione? Everything all right in there?"

Hermione blinked, before opening the door to reveal Sirius, a slightly concerned look on his face.

"Yeah, I'm fine, why?" she replied.

"It's just, you were in there for a long time," Sirius squinted his eyes, looking her over for a few moments. "You sure you're okay?"

Hermione laughed, wrapping her hand around his and leading him away. "Yes, my love, I'm completely okay. Now, how are the little terrors?"

"Don't call them that," Sirius lightly admonished her, though she could see the amusement dancing in his grey eyes, " You know how it boosts their ego."

Hermione snorted, "Lord knows we don't need more of that."

Sirius hummed, agreeing with her but not saying anything else for they had reached the courtyard, where all the kids, ranging from 4 to 10 (The age range would've gone up to 16 had it been Summer Break, where the older full-timers would be back as well) were doing something or the other, under the watchful eye of Bree.

Not that there was any cause for worry, of course. The area was saturated with protective spells of all kinds from over the globe. A kd could fall face first onto the ground from fifty feet up and not have a scratch on him. Yes, that was the lengths Harry had gone to to ensure his kids wouldn't get hurt.

This time, Sirius stayed back to chat with Bree while Hermione decided to go and play with the youngest group of the whole lot. The four and five-year-olds.

Since it was just before lunchtime, they had both the full-time kids and the day school kids and it was adding up to a cool 150 kids. This particular group had about 25. The number of orphans, to their relief, had starting decreasing as the years increased, but at the same time they were getting more and more kids for day schooling all the time, which was a great thing. It meant things were changing and that was the reason the School was started.

After spending a good hour just playing around and letting her inner child come out, which, she could admit she rarely did, and feeling refreshed and exhausted at the same time, everyone went into the dining room for lunch.

Lunch was always an interesting affair at the School. There was a buffet system, which was quite extensive by any standard of measure, and anyone could get what they wanted. If anyone had any health restrictions, they were provided a band that just disallowed them from taking certain items. It was an anchoring rune with a localized Notice Me Not charm which was actually quite creative, Hermione thought with pride, remembering all the research and trial and errors that had gone into creating it.

It did mean that no kid accidentally ever ate peanut butter or drank some milk and broke out in rashes, though.

After lunch hours- which was always from 1-3 pm- were over, at around 4, there would be a snack station set up for anyone who wanted to come in and have a bite. After a couple hours, this would be removed and by 7 there would be a dinner spread ready.

It was a highly efficient system that had come about after months of trials and mistakes, because neither of the three had any idea how to deal with kids and the small technicalities of running an establishment like this.

And since both Harry and Sirius had enough in their vaults to sustain the next fifteen generations, plus if you include the sheer number of donations and grants they were getting, they didn't have to worry about the financial aspect of it at all. They were here to provide a safe haven for kids, and they did so with world-class services without any regret.

"Gabriel! Gabriel!" Hermione suddenly heard Bree call out. Her eyes widened when she recognized the name. Could it be-?

She turned around hastily, just barely avoiding the tiny 4 years old sitting beside her. Her eyes scanned the large room for Bree's pitch black hair and zeroed in on the small baby she was holding in her arms.

He had blonde hair, just as Harry had said but it was a shade darker than Daphne's. Even though she was quite far away, she could see that he had inherited his mother's famous icy blue eyes. Although, she couldn't imagine him having as many shields up as Daphne, seeing as he was only only 3.

Which brought her to her current confusion. He looked much too small for a three-year-old.

Over the course of the past three years, Hermione had seen quite a lot of toddlers and infants. And from where she was standing, Gabriel barely looked like he was two. Which was a problem.

She knew it couldn't have been genetic, at least not from Daphne's side. Both her parents were healthy, and tall and she had seen a couple baby pictures of Daphne, courtesy of Harry, and she wasn't anywhere near small.

As for the father…Just thinking about it made Hermione gulp anxiously. Although she didn't want to think about it her mind did stray towards Harry.

Harry had always been on the smaller side, both in height and weight. He had always had a slender frame, with lean muscles and Hermione was pretty sure his body didn't even know what bulky meant. But, she, and Harry, had always put that down to his despicable treatment at the hands of the Dursleys, rather than anything genetic. Because James Potter was a huge, bulky guy and Lily Potter, while slender, wasn't anything to laugh at either. She had a good frame, and wasn't in the slightest bit 'skinny'.

So it was logical for her to conclude that the malnourishment that Harry faced in this growing years, along with living in a cupboard was the reason for his apparently stunted growth. Plus, his baby pictures agreed with her. He was a healthy, normally growing baby in his first year when he was with his..parents.

These thoughts brought a pang to her heart. She could never think about Harry's pre-Hogwarts years without some form of sadness and anger. Sadness, at how he had to live and all the misfortune that seems to befall him, and anger at how the Dursleys treated him.

Quickly shaking them off, for she knew she wouldn't be able to come out if she lost herself to them right there, she quickly decided that  _if_ Harry was Gabriel's father, which she still thought was unlikely, his small, almost malnourished stature wasn't genetic.

That meant that it was on purpose, and the thought made Hermione's brown eyes momentarily flare in anger. Despite who the child was, the thought of anyone starving him, or god forbid  _abusing_ him, did not sit well with her, and if she found it to be true then Merlin save the person who did it.

She did have to think of another possibility, though, she thought as her thoughts cleared slightly.

Harry wasn't Gabriel's father. In which case, there was still the possibility that the kid had a genetic propensity towards being on the smaller side. And Hermione didn't know what to think of that.

On one hand, the possibility that he wasn't being abused, whether intentionally or unintentionally, made her feel relieved but the on the other hand, that meant the baby wasn't Harry's, which could mean only two things.

Either Daphne was cheating on him and got pregnant, hence the abrupt departure, or she found someone as soon as she had disappeared and gotten herself pregnant.

Hermione didn't like either of those options.

Taking a deep breath, she decided she would go over and introduce herself to Gabriel, who seemed to be very shy, which wasn't very uncommon, but so shy that he wasn't even looking in the direction of anyone and only listlessly moving his food around on his plate with his fork. That, in Hermione's experience, was never a good sign. Even shy kids managed to make friends with others similar to them, that's just how kids were. One tentative smile and a shared pencil and they were proclaiming each other best friends for life, that's just what they did.

So this was troubling, and she wanted to understand why. She wanted to help him, even if he was Daphne's kid. She couldn't project her hatred for that woman onto her son, that was just..cruel.

So with a determined look in her eye, she got up but before she went over to Gabriel, she decided to tell Sirius what she was doing.

"Siri," she called out. He was in the midst of some ten year olds, animatedly waving his arms around and in the midst of what looked like a story. He immediately turned at the sound of her voice with a questioning look on his face. She cocked a thumb behind her in an indication that she wanted to talk to him. He immediately turned back and from the disappointed look on the kids' faces, told them that he had to talk to her and would be back.

He walked over to her, questioning look still on his face.

"What's up, Mione?" he asked.

"Uh, I was thinking," she started hesitantly, not quite sure how to word it., "that maybe I'd go and talk to Gabriel. Daphne's son," she added when she saw that Sirius didn't realize who she was talking about.

Immediately comprehension dawned on his face, following by a dark frown marring his features. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"If I want to talk to Daphne soon, yeah," Hermione replied, inadvertently telling him more than she had originally planned to. She mentally facepalmed, cursing herself. She hadn't wanted to tell Sirius anything about her wish to talk to, or rather  _confront,_ Daphne until she had actually done it. Lord knows how he would react. She didn't even want to think of what would happen if he decided to take matters into his own hands.

"You what?" he whispered, his voice going dangerously soft.

Hermione scowled. "Sirius, stop. Don't do that. I can take care of this and I do  _not_ need you interfering."

Sirius' eyes flashed. "Hermione, you know why I'm saying this-"

Hermione cut him off with a raised hand. "I know, and I'm still telling you, you need to stay out of this. For no one's but Harry's sake. While I'm not a fan of Daphne either, I'm not going to do anything to her and you can't look me in the eye and tell me that you can do the same." She stared expectantly at Sirius, one foot lightly tapping the floor.

He had the decency to look slightly ashamed at her words, losing his defiant posture. He rubbed the back of his neck slowly as he thought over her words. Finally, his shoulders slumped and he let out a defeated sigh.

"I know. I know you're capable but I still worry, you know that right?"

Hermione's features softened. "And I truly do appreciate you for it, but I think everyone needs this, don't you? Harry, most of all. And I'm not going to tell  _him_ to go and talk to her, not when he's finally gotten better."

Sirius nodded in agreement, "I wouldn't dream of doing that, in any case. If you can believe it, I think I actually support you doing this. Everyone  _does_ need the closure."

Hermione let out a small sigh of relief. While she would've gone ahead with her plan even if she didn't have Sirius' approval, it did make her feel better that she did.

She leaned forward to peck him on the cheek, enjoying the stubbly feeling. She could feel Sirius smiling as she pulled back.

"I'll see you, yeah?"

He nodded, grey eyes now twinkling with something she couldn't quite decipher. But she didn't dwell on that as she set her sights on Gabriel.

She would figure this out before the week was up, just watch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, since it's been a long time, I just wanted to clear this up.
> 
> Daphne has a son, his name is Gabriel and he's about 3.
> 
> It's been almost 3 years since Harry started the School, and the War was 6 years ago. Even though I've written a pretty complicated timeline down, it's still confusing to me :3 But yeah, don't hesitate to ask if you have any doubts about this!


	10. 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so pleased to say that this fic has been nominated in TWO categories for Maraduer Medals held by the Shrieking Shack Society; Best Romance and Best WIP. If you think this fic deserves it, I would love it if you guys could take a minute out to vote. It would mean so much to me :")   
> Just go over to this link---> https://tinyurl.com/y6utt42b
> 
> Thank you so much!   
> I hope you enjoy this chapter and remember, constructive criticism is always welcome!

"Sup, Hermione," Bree spoke as a way of greeting when Hermione finally managed to walk over to her. She hadn't quite realized how difficult it was to walk across the hall without being stopped every couple of steps by an overeager child. Not that she minded because it was quite endearing to see them come waddling up to her, wishing to tell her what they did throughout the day.

However, she was on a mission and finally, she had managed to disentangle herself from the children and reached her destination.

"Hello!" Hermione replied, looking at Gabriel with a smile on her face as she did.

"Hi, Gabriel. I'm Hermione," she introduced herself to the shy boy. He looked up at her with an adorably confused expression on his face before quickly turning to bury his head in Bree's shoulder.

"He's just a little shy," Bree explained as she tried to gently pry Gabriel away from her.

"Hey, Gabe, Hermione's not going to hurt you," she told the little boy, who was still stubbornly clinging to her. The boy in question looked up at her at that, and his lips hesitantly curved a little when he saw her smiling at him.

"Hi," she repeated. "How are you?"

"I good," he replied quietly. Hermione smiled fondly at that. Infants and toddlers were her favorite age groups, though she wasn't supposed to have one when she was at the School. Whatever they did almost seemed to melt her heart.

However, she knew Harry had a soft spot for the kids in primary school, the one she thought to be the most rambunctious of the lot so she didn't feel  _too_ guilty about having favorites.

"Do you like this place?" she asked, wanting to keep the conversation going. She knew it would take time to get this child to trust her, and she was willing to put in the time and effort for that.

"Yes," Gabriel nodded his head vigorously, almost falling out of Bree's arms as he did. "Here better than home."

Hermione cocked her head to the side and asked slowly, "Why do you say that, Gabriel?"

"Home always cold, not ha-" he suddenly stopped, looking up at her fearfully. Hermione realized with a jolt that it somehow seemed like he was looking through her, not at her. But...he was too young?

"I not tell her, Father, I not," he mumbled under his breath, so quietly that Hermione had to strain her ears to listen to what he was saying, "I be a good boy, no stinging, I be good."

With fury mounting in her as soon as Hermione understood what he was saying, the words being reciting almost like a litany, a prayer.

"Gabriel," she started, speaking through clenched teeth, "Does your father hurt you in any way?"

She knew she probably shouldn't have asked that, that it might just end up distancing him from her and break any beginnings of trust that was being formed between the two of them but she couldn't help it. Even the slightest bit of indication that this adorable little boy was being abused and she would raise heaven and hell to get the person behind it punished.

Although she tried her hardest not to show her anger to him, lest he get scared, she couldn't stop her hazel eyes from burning with fury. Gabriel's younger lip trembled as he looked at her, but his voice was determined as he answered.

"N-No, Miss. Herm, I not hurt by Father. Father is good person, he not hurt me," his voice was almost robotic, rehearsed as if this wasn't the first time he'd had to tell someone that.

She couldn't even bring herself to address the horrific butchering of her name, she was that riled up at that point. Before she could anything else that would probably have scared the boy even more, Bree held up a hand.

"Hermione," she said in a firm voice. "How about I get Gabe some hot chocolate to drink and you can talk to him later, hm?" Though her voice was stern, her eyes were tender and quietly asking her to step back for a moment.

"I-I'd like that, thank you, Bree," Hermione answered tightly, keeping her emotions in check. "Thank you for talking with me, Gabriel, I really enjoyed it. Maybe we can talk again?" She knew she was being way too formal to talk to a three year old, but when she was on the verge of any sort of outburst, she always distanced herself from things emotionally, figuring it would help in the long run.

Gabriel hesitantly looked at with his large blue eyes that made her heart stutter before giving her a sharp nod. Without saying anything, he turned back to Bree and burrowed himself in her neck. Bree looked at Hermione apologetically before standing up and walking over to the refreshments table, where she poured out a mug of hot chocolate for the tiny boy in her arms.

* * *

It was time for the day school kids to be picked up and Hermione was frustrated. Her talk with Gabriel had been entirely unhelpful, other than to confirm the fact that there was something wrong going on. His extremely hesitant demeanour, along with a few other things she'd noticed, had alarm bells ringing in her head. It was such that she was actually hoping that  _Daphne_ was the one to pick him up that day.

Daphne usually only picked him up once a week, if that. All other times, it was a tiny little house elf that was apparently bonded to the Greengrass family. While Hermione still did not like the concept of a house elf, she understood that they needed the bond to survive, unlike her younger self. Other than that, Daphne wasn't the first Pureblood who used a house elf to drop their child and then come back for them. In that respect, she was actually quite...normal.

But, on this particular day, Hermione was quite eager to see the blonde beauty walk into the building, for she had quite a few words to say to her. And quite a few questions to ask as well.

As she turned to look at the monitor that was hooked to the security camera that showed the entrance of the School, her thoughts strayed to the various muggle objects they had adapted into their establishment. It started with small things, like a manual bell at the door along with revealing charms. The reason for that was just in case someone didn't send an owl, or had a house elf to inform the people inside the School of their coming, they could use the bell. It was much more convenient than any of the complicated wizarding ways like sending a patronus or penning a letter.

And as understanding of magic and its applications increased, several charms and runes were devised to use muggle appliances in Wizarding establishments and so they moved on to the digital camera, as the place started to expand and take in more children, for convenience and security. There was no hassle of casting and recasting charms, wards and spells in this case. Other than this, they used quite a lot of muggle appliances in the kitchens, and for washing.

The School employed quite a number of house elves to help around. Hermione had made sure all of them had willingly entered the contract Harry had written out. Of course, it had taken quite some persuasion on their part for them to even  _consider_ entering into a contract but it had finally been worked out well enough and now, all the elves got a day off each week. It was on this week that these muggle appliances came into use, for all the work was done by Bree, Hermione, Sirius and Harry, and both Harry and her were more comfortable with the muggle methods than the magical ones.

Soon enough, they had even started bringing in entertainment devices like record players, and even a television. Although they only had one of it in the whole place, and it wasn't as wide ranging as a regular muggle television was, it was still a big hit. They were even working on getting a computer into the School. The more complicated the device, the harder it is to ward it securely enough that it doesn't just go off with a bang as soon as it's turned on. It was, therefore, quite a miracle that they had managed to get in even the one television that they had.

Because she was so lost in her thoughts, however, she didn't notice the black robes figure entering through the door until she was right in front of her.

"Uhm," the person cleared her throat, somewhat nervously, "I'm here for Gabriel?"

Hermione blinked, her normally warm brown eyes sharpening as she looked into the panicked blue eyes of Daphne Greengrass.

"Hello, Daphne. I think it's about time we talked, don't you?"

Daphne paled.

* * *

 _Bugger, bugger, bugger,_ the normally composed Daphne Greengrass cursed mentally,  _why couldn't I just send Lotty to pick Gab up? It would have meant I wouldn't have to face..her._

But even as she already regretted stepping foot into the building, she knew she would've done the same had she known the outcome. This was one of the only times she was  _free,_ in all senses of the word. There were very,  _very_ few things that would make her skip her weekly routine of dropping and picking Gab up, and although the woman with the crackling brown hair standing in front of her was scary, she wasn't one of them.

Daphne knew very well what Hermione Granger could do to her, should she wish to. She had heard the stories that circulated in the Hogwarts rumor mill. Hermione was the brains behind the Golden Trio. She could ruin someone without lifting a single finger, if Rita Skeeter was any example, and she when she  _did_ lift a finger, it ended in the utter annihilation of the person it was against. An image of Umbridge came into her mind and she barely suppressed a shudder.

 _This was not someone she wanted to cross,_ Daphne thought,  _not if she valued her life, as incredibly contemptible it was right now._

It was the knowledge that she didn't really have anything else to lose should she talk to Hermione Granger, and that even if she didn't want to she didn't have a choice in it, that made her nod resolutely.

"Yes, I think it is." It was all she could do to keep her voice from wavering. She could see the surprise that appeared on the brunette's face at her answer, probably because she did not expect Daphne to be so acquiescing.  _Daphne_ didn't expect herself to be so acquiescing but, she was a Slytherin first and foremost and self preservation was something that had been ingrained in her over the years.

And if she was being honest with herself, a tiny part of her hoped that maybe Hermione would be able to help her. Though Daphne was sure she was perfectly capable of it, she just wasn't sure whether she would want to. If she was in her shoes, she definitely would not. But then, she wasn't a Gryffindor with a conventional moral compass and self righteous indignation on behalf of others, and that's where all the difference lay.

Hermione looked at her for a moment, scrutinizing her from head to toe before she asked, "Would you mind if we moved this to Harry's room?"

 _She did this on purpose,_ was the first thought that went through Daphne's mind as soon as she heard...Harry's name. Even after all these years, it was still painful for her.  _Granted,_ she thought bitterly,  _most would say she didn't even have the right to say that after what she..did, but that didn't lessen the pain, didn't remove the guilt._

She could see Hermione looking at her carefully, watching her for...something. Daphne wouldn't give her the satisfaction, though. At least..not yet.

"Yes, that would be fine," she replied tightly, not letting her voice betray the whirlwind of emotions that had taken over her body. Hermione's eyes narrowed but she nodded, before turning around and walking over to a door a little over to the right. She opened the door and stepped to the side expectantly, waiting for Daphne to enter before her. She did so obediently but did not for one moment think it was out of any sense of politeness or courtesy, but probably because she deemed Daphne a threat and would not walk to keep her back to her.

Daphne could appreciate that, although it did sting a bit. Over the course of her short lived romance with Harry, she had grown quite close to Hermione, despite not seeing her very often due to her travels. They had owled each other quite frequently and she hadn't realized how much she craved an intellectually stimulating friendship until she met Hermione. While they weren't similar, they did share some interests and that was their common base. And while they would never become the best of friends, they did have each others backs.

Which made her leaving that much more painful. She didn't just leave Harry, but everything that had come along with him; new friendships, a family she never thought she'd have and a sense of being loved and protected.

As she entered the room, she was hit with a wave of emotion. Looking around, she could say with utter certainty that this was Harry Potter's room, even if she hadn't known it beforehand. It was just so...him. The walls were a pleasant maroon color, with a pale golden network of crisscrosses going along one wall. The result was a classy finish to an otherwise standard room, while at the same time, a proud proclamation of his House.

The walls were lined with pictures, as was the huge mahogany desk that was set against one wall. Pictures, both Wizarding and muggle, of everyone ranging from his biological family to his chosen family. She could see quite a lot in the pictures; Lily Evans' raging red hair, James Potter's messy black hair, Sirius Black's perpetually smirking face, Teddy Lupin's ever changing countenance, Hermione Granger's laughing face, Ron Weasley's lanky frame, a number of different kids whom she assumed went to the School, and finally...Harry, always wearing his ridiculous glasses and his patented lopsided grin on his face.

The warmth, and feeling of comfort that the room gave off brought tears to the Slytherin Ice princess' eyes. This was what she had missed for so many years, this feeling was what had given her the will to live once again before it was ripped away from her and now that she had a taste of it once again, she didn't quite think she could let it go again.

A silent sob wracked through her body and she placed a delicate hand over her mouth to hide it because, in some detached part of her mind, she realized that she was not alone and despite her hope that Hermione would help her, it wouldn't do for her to show any weakness just now.

She loudly cleared her throat, willing herself to calm down, quite aware of the moisture in her eyes. When she felt she was suitably composed, she turned around to look at Hermione, who was still standing near the door, although it was now closed and probably warded, and silently watching her.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Daphne asked. Even though she  _knew_ what Hermione wanted to talk about, she wouldn't just go into this with all her cards on the table.

"Wait, what about Gab? Where is he going to be?" Daphne cut Hermione off before she could reply, her voice taking on a worried tone.

"Gabriel is just fine, Daphne. I told Bree that you'd be a little while before you could pick him up and he's playing with the other kids. I assure you, he would not notice your absence for some time," Hermione replied calmly. Daphne let out a quiet sigh of relief. While, rationally, she knew that no harm could come to her son at this place, she still worried about him quite a bit, especially with all the things her poor baby had to go through. This endeavour with the day school as the first time she had actually let him out of his sight for so long. It still pulled at her to see him all teary eyed as he left.

"Thank you," Daphne said, wishing her eyes could convey the gratitude her eyes couldn't. Even though Hermione might not understand why her reassurance was a big deal, it still mattered to Daphne.

"Now," Hermione continued, her voice becoming icy and reminding Daphne that she was a War Hero who had fought in an actual War, thus making her someone not to mess with, "Are you going to tell me what happened three years ago, or do I have to somehow force it out of you?"

"Because make no mistake, Daphne, I will do it if I feel I have to. Harry has been living the past three years without any form of closure and you fucked him up worse than anything else and if I'm being honest with you, there are some people who would never forgive you for it. I don't what you're playing at, bringing your son here, but let me tell you, your presence is severely affecting Harry and I don't like to see him hurt."

"So, are you going to start talking?"

During her little speech, Hermione had made her way towards the large desk, leaning against it with her hands crossed across her chest. She was looking at Daphne expectantly, though her eyes held anger, flaming and burning anger that Daphne had no doubt would be unleashed on her if she did not comply.

So she did.

"I know you'll probably find this hard to believe, but I truly did not leave Harry out of my own choice," Daphne had a lot of things she wished to say,  _needed_ to say, but this, this was the most important out of all of them. She needed Hermione to understand that she did not just walk out of Harry's life because she wanted to or because she had gotten bored of him or any such ridiculous reason.

The woman in front of her raised a pointed eyebrow, frowning in disbelief. Daphne didn't blame her. In fact, she was still surprised she wasn't being hexed left, right and center. If their roles were reversed, and she was the one with an aching best friend, she certainly wouldn't be holding back.

"I..It's a long story," Daphne continued hastily, "Do you have time for it right now? Because I don't think I'll be able to talk to you again."

Hermione frowned harder. "What does that mean? Why would not be able to talk again?"

Daphne bit her lip, an uncharacteristically unusual move that visibly shocked Hermione. "That..is something I can only tell you when you've gotten a bit of context. But before that, do you have at least an hour at hand and can someone look after Gabriel for that long?"

Hermione cleared her throat. "I-Yes, I have an hour, and Bree is about to leave but Sirius can look after Gabriel. As I said, you don't have to worry." Daphne nodded in obvious relief but the mention of Sirius Black had sent shivers down her back. And not in the good way.

She would not want to face Sirius Black, not now, not ever.

Glancing at Daphne, Hermione turned to pull two chairs towards her, one for herself and offering the other to Daphne as soon as she sat down. Daphne gave her a grateful smile and sat down herself, primly crossing one leg over the other. Her calm outward look was ruined by her wringing hands, however, which belied her true nervousness.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. When her eyes opened, her blue orbs had a determination they didn't have previously.

"I was very,  _very_ happy with Harry, Hermione," she started hesitantly, not quite sure how to begin but starting off with the one thing she knew for sure- her love for Harry.

"I'd never had a very happy life- before, during or after Hogwarts. My whole life, as far as I can remember, I've had to act in a certain manner. Before coming to Hogwarts, it was dictated by my parents, who were the quintessential Pureblood couple who believed themselves to be higher than everyone else. When I came to Hogwarts, I had to act according to my House rules."

Here, Hermione interrupted her with a raised hand, "House rules? Gryffindor never had any, and as far as I could tell neither of the other houses did either. In fact, I've never heard anything about anything like this."

"That's because we weren't allowed to disclose any of it, to anyone. Even Slytherins who had siblings, or friends in other houses couldn't speak of it. And the reason you've never heard any other house having their own rules is that they don't have any in the first place."

"But, why did only Slytherin have these rules then?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Because Slytherin was the one house that was needed them, Hermione," Daphne said wryly, "Simply put, Slytherins didn't have anyone but themselves. The moment your clothes turned green and silver, it was like you were branded. You couldn't go from one place to another without making people around you suspicious. Getting randomly hexed in the corridors, being on the receiving end of the worst pranks, and even getting prejudiced treatment from the teachers was an everyday occurrence for us."

"Yo-I-Surely-? I, It couldn't have been that bad?" Hermione spluttered indignantly even as the memory of certain red haired twins stuffing Graham Montague into the Vanishing Cabinet-  _a broken Vanishing Cabinet-_ entered her mind.

Daphne smiled, a bitter smile that told Hermione better than words that she was telling the truth, "Be grateful you weren't in Slytherin, they would have chewed you alive. And I'm not just saying that because of your blood status."

Hermione's jaw had dropped open a little at her words, but she hastily closed it before asking in a hesitant sort of voice, "What were..that is, if you don't...I mean..Can you tell me what the rules were?"

"No travelling in the corridors alone, no interacting with people of other houses unless absolutely necessary, always present a united front outside your House even if you disagree,  _never_ fight a student of your own house, never lift a wand to a student of your house, always help a Snake if you see them in trouble regardless of what you personally feel for them, do  _not_ go to any teacher other than Professor Snape in case of a problem and if you do take up a fight with someone outside your house  _do. not. get. caught,"_ Daphne recited in a monotonous tone. With each word that rolled off her tongue, Hermione seemed to be getting more and more horrified.

From the look on her face, Daphne surmised that she never realized the true extent of what Slytherins faced in school. No one other other than a Snake probably ever would, either.

"So, there were people even in Slytherin who never bought into the blood purity bullshit?" Hermione asked quietly, looking for all the world like her very foundations were shaken. Which, Daphne guessed, was close enough to the actual truth. Most people, and by that she meant three fourths of the people passing out of Hogwarts, liked to paint all Slytherins with the same brush and preferred putting them in one rigid box. Being told that they're wrong and that the reality is far different than what they had built for themselves tended to not go over very well for them.

"Hermione," Daphne leaned forward a little, her gaze holding Hermione's unflinchingly, "there were people in Slytherin who didn't even what half those words meant. Most of the children in my house, including me and even Draco, had never seen a muggle  _or_ a muggle born until we had entered Hogwarts. Hell, I can bet that Draco has still never seen a muggle. At least  _half,_ if not more, of Slytherin acts like it does because that is what is expected of them. Because they're painted with the same brush, and because of the house rules, they  _have_ to present a united front. And that includes pretending to have the same ideology, even when you don't."

"These rules were meant to be defensive by their very nature, meant to protect the students in the house, especially the younger years who did not know why random people they'd never met called them Death Eater scum in the hallways, or hexed them out of nowhere. As we grow up, these rules are embedded in our very identity and it's like our safety net. We can't change even if we want to," Daphne finished, sadness glinting in her eyes and a note of frustration running through her voice.

"Dear Merlin," gasped Hermione, hand over her mouth and eyes shining with unshed tears.

Daphne smiled sadly, "I can assure you, the reality is vastly different to what people like to think of Slytherin as. But that's not what we're here to talk about today. If we were to talk about the unfair treatment Slytherins faced on a regular basis, I'm afraid this discussion won't end, and I don't have a lot of time left."

Hermione sucked in a sharp breath, trying to get her emotions under control. When she felt like she was sufficiently composed, she nodded, not speaking just yet but indicating to Daphne that she should continue.

Looking at her for a moment, Daphne started again when she decided that Hermione was alright.

"So as I was saying, in Hogwarts, I had to act according to these rules. Despite never agreeing  _once_ with Draco's bullshit, I had to pretend as if I did, or at the very least, stay quiet. In the dorms, I couldn't say anything either because how could I have? I didn't have support from anyone; my parents were useless and the other kids were scared shitless of Draco and his gang to go against him."

"All of this led to me always growing up in a certain way, putting on a certain mask. I've always shielded myself, body and heart, from  _everyone_. Harry was the first person to break through it."

She could see Hermione wanted to say something, wanted to ask her questions and it took her quite some effort to not interrupt her. She took a moment to decide what to say next because there was so much to say and not nearly enough time for everything.

"When I was travelling, I was free. I didn't have to act according to  _someone else's_ rules, and I could in a way I had never been able to. When I met Harry, I think it was a toss up for who was more guarded out of the two of us. I never thought I would meet someone who had as many shields up as I did, and here was someone who was probably even worse than me. The fact that it was  _Harry Potter, Golden Boy of Gryffindor_ made it even more surprising. It took us quite a while to get past them."

A fond smile grew on her face as she remembered the day she met Harry. She could remember it so clearly, as if it was imprinted on the back of her lids. She wouldn't be surprised if it was, that day changed something in her whether she wanted to acknowledge it or not.

They were in a town called Coorg, a small hill station towards the south of India, and it was sheer coincidence that they happened to meet. In such a vast country, with so many different places to visit, and the both of them just happened to be in the same not very well known town at the same time? Had she not been staunchly against the concept of Divination and Fate, she would say that it was almost like they were destined to meet. As it was, she didn't believe in that rot and was content with calling it a coincidence.

She was just roaming around on the streets listlessly, when she spotted a head covered with  _extremely familiar messy black hair._ Of course, she didn't believe that it was Harry in the beginning because she had no reason to. But still, she had walked over to him and tapped him on the back, all the while convinced that she would  _not_ see a familiar face with round glasses and a lopsided grin.

That was exactly what she had seen.

His eyes had widened to an almost comical degree and his jaw had actually dropped open and a strangled ' _Daphne'_ escaped his lips. Daphne was surprised that he even knew her, knew how she looked, knew her  _name_ because everyone knew Harry Potter, no one knew Daphne Greengrass.

They had coordinated their meetings after that, indirectly of course. Neither of them wanted to admit it but the comfort of having a familiar face in a foreign land, regardless of the fact that they had once stood on opposing sides, or well, almost opposing sides, was more than enough for them to put any lingering animosity they might have had for each other out of the way. Not that there really was any, if she was being honest, at least on her side. And as she found out later, there wasn't any on his as well.

With memories of their time in India running through her thoughts and a smile playing across her lips, she continued. "I was truly happy for the entire time I was with Harry. I never quite realized how much I was craving love and affection and freedom until I had it all. We were perfect for each other."

"But, our relationship was destined to crash and burn. It was like a flare, burning bright and almost blindingly in the beginning, but then suddenly dying, with the same intensity. There was no slow fizzling of the flame, no warning, it just happened. And I should've known, I should've known my past would catch up to me, and I should've known that I would never really be free."

Hermione looked up at that. She had been uncharacteristically quiet up until now. Daphne knew that was unusual. Hermione Granger was definitely  _not_ a woman of few words. She always had something to say and she would damn well say it if she so wished.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked cautiously. Her eyes, while not as cold as they were when Daphne had first walked in, were still very guarded. Daphne had to work to hide the hurt she was feeling at that, even though she knew she completely deserved it.

"I mean that my parents are complete arseholes who don't care an iota for their own daughter," Daphne replied bitterly. She could still remember the utter loathing she had felt for her own parents. She still did, but it wasn't as volatile as it had been back then.

"They wanted me to marry someone else, someone who they felt would be very profitable to their own coffers. They were willing to exchange their own daughter for money."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, I was hoping if there is anyone who would be willing to beta for me? I find it very hard to read through my own works and therefore, forego the process altogether. If you're willing to beta my other fic as well, that would be great but this takes primacy right now :")


	11. 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, it's a new chapter.
> 
> I'm SO sorry for the long wait but November has been a very, very hectic month. It's not even funny how busy I've been. If I'm not studying my ass off, then I'm drooping from exhaustion and sleep deprivation.
> 
> But enough of that depressing shit, I really wanted this to be longer but I didn't know when I'd next get time to write so I had to wrap this up. Again, I know there's no Sirius/Hermione but I solemnly swear that even if it's longer than all the other chapters combined, I will get it in in the next chapter. I originally wanted to finish this story by the end of this year but I hadn't anticipated how busy I would be. I imagine it'll only get worse from here.
> 
> I hope y'all like it, reviews are always welcome :)

 

 

* * *

Hermione's jaw went slack as she heard Daphne say that her parents quite literally  _sold_ her for money.

Out of all the things on Merlin's sweet earth that could have been the reason why she had left,  _this_ had never once occurred to Hermione. Nor to anyone else, if she was being completely honest.

For one, forced marriage or marriage contracts were a thing of the past and especially after the War, no one dared to enter their child into one. And more importantly, Daphne was a  _legal adult_ at the time of this happening. That usually means that the parent has no right to do something like this to their child because they were now legal adults who could make decisions for themselves.

The second reason was why her guards went up like a damned shutter. Something wasn't right here.

"And just how were they able to do that, Daphne?" Hermione asked suspiciously. She wasn't just going to believe her just because she had given her a sob story. This was a woman who had quite effectively deceived her best friend and everyone else around him. She was a  _Slytherin_ and while Hermione's days of painting all snakes with the same brush were long past over, it would be ignorant of her to think that Daphne  _wouldn't_  manipulate a situation to her advantage. In fact, if she was being honest, it would surprise her if she didn't.

"They-They had taken a vial of my blood at birth. It's something that most Pureblood families do as a 'safeguard'," she sneered at the word 'safeguard', letting Hermione know just what she thought about that particular practice. "They had used it to create a marriage contract in my life when I was a minor under their care. It's a handy little loophole that most don't even know about. And with good reason. Because they had it drawn up when they were still my guardians, it still held even after I turned 17."

"Although I didn't know about this until about 4 years ago when they confronted me with it. They said that they didn't care if I was off gallivanting with idiots, but at the end of the day, there was only one choice for me and that was to get married to a man of their choice. Of course, I rebelled, I fought, I did everything I could to get away. What you need to understand, Hermione," Here, she turned desperate blue eyes to the brunette. "Is that I have tried my damndest to get out from under their control as soon as I turned 17. I thought I had done it. Never in my wildest dreams did I think they would have done something like this. I mean, why would I?"

She broke off there, taking in a shuddering breath, eyes closed shut. Hermione could see the hurt and anguish dancing across her delicate features and against her better judgement, she moved forward and placed a gentle hand on her back, rubbing slow circles across it.

Daphne exhaled, before continuing, "I was...I had to marry a man I had no love towards, no wish to ever see in my life again all for the sake of our family and to cement our position in society."

A feeling of dread crept up on Hermione when Daphne fell silent again. She was getting a very bad feeling from this.

"Marcus Flint," Daphne whispered. "He was the bane of my existence, in the most literal sense of the word, when we were at Hogwarts. He was the one person who always broke through my masks, and not in the way Harry did either. He-He made me feel..dirty, polluted, as if I could never be clean again no matter how much I scrubbed myself. In hindsight, a lot of these comments made sense. He must have known about the contract long before I was told about it."

Hermione couldn't quite contain the gasp that involuntarily escaped her lips at Daphne's words. She was married to Marcus Flint? He was a...brute, for lack of a better word. He spoke with his fists and he was a Pureblood supremacist to the highest degree. He..Hermione wouldn't wish him upon her  _worst enemy._

However, there was something she had to ask her. Something that had been nagging at her for the entirety of this conversation and even before that.

"Gabriel," she started. "Is he-Is he...Harry's?" Her voice was trembling almost imperceptibly. The answer to this question could change everything. For the longest time, all Harry had ever wanted was a family. It was the reason for his unfailing loyalty towards those he cared about and it was the primary reason for him opening the School.

If it turned out that Gabriel was indeed Harry's, and that he had missed the first three years of his son's life, it would devastate him in a way nothing else ever had. The one thing he had wanted to desperately, taken away and hidden from him so brutally. It would break him.

Daphne gasped at her question, horror and panic filling her blue eyes. "No! No, I would-I would never do that to him. I-I know how much he craves for a family and I could never dream of keeping his own son away from him, even if it killed me in the process. No, Gabriel is, unfortunately, Marcus'. While I love my baby boy to death, I-I cannot help but regret the circumstances in which he was born. He doesn't deserve to be in the middle of this ugly conflict, doesn't deserve to be hurt as he is." Her voice had dropped to a whisper towards the end, sadness coating every word.

Unknowingly, Hermione breathed out a sigh of relief. He wasn't Harry's,  _he wasn't Harry's._ She hadn't realized how much that was weighing on her until the pressure lifted off her.

Daphne smiled bitterly, "The day I left Harry, he forced me to...to sleep with him. Gabriel was conceived that night. It remains, to this day, the only time I've even been in the same bed with that monster."

"Oh, Daphne, I am so sorry!" Hermione exclaimed in alarm, the weight that had just lifted off her chest slammed back again. To go through something like that in life, she wouldn't wish it upon her worst enemy, least of all the woman sitting in front of her who had once been her friend.

"I couldn't do anything about it. The Marriage Contract stated one heir had to be born, until then I couldn't refuse...copulation. I suppose I should consider myself lucky that my body was feeling unnaturally fertile that day, and I didn't have to go through it again."

An indignant look rose in Hermione's brown eyes at Daphne's words. She didn't believe how someone could think that. She was about to go on another of her rants about the Wizarding World's backwardness and regressive mindset, and how they didn't care about the happiness of their daughters, but only saw them as breeders, but something about Daphne's countenance stopped her.

Daphne looked at Hermione with red-rimmed eyes, a tired look in her eyes. "Our world isn't sexist, Hermione, they don't go around propagating violence and oppression towards women like I've, no offence, often seen in the Muggle world. Because of how much I've travelled, often to Muggle places, I see a stark difference in the way women are treated in both worlds, and I know you're thinking how unfair it is to a woman to be forced against her will in a contract like this, but I need you to know, it's not gender bias."

Before she could say anything else, Hermione interrupted her, "Daphne, I-I really can't understand how you can say that. It's right in front of you, and yet you're saying the Wizarding World isn't as bad as the Muggle world? I'm not offended, I know I can't really say anything, but I don't get how you think we're worse than here!"

"Hermione, if you're talking specifically about Marriage Contracts, it's a two-way street. It can be forced on a guy as easily as it can be forced on a woman. Assholes don't look at gender. The clause about not...resisting until a child is conceived? It goes both ways. If a woman is particularly desperate for a child as well, the man can't refuse her either. It can be unwanted on his side either," Daphne explained patiently.

"During my travels, I saw a lot of things. And from my understanding, there are two major reasons for the treatment of women being what it was and is in the Muggle world. Religion and physical strength. Whether misinterpreted or not, religion supposedly puts the common woman on a lower pedestal than the man. The rituals are geared towards men and the women are little more than helpers. Religion has made 'periods' something to be ashamed of, something that is 'impure', for example. And physical strength. Women are looked down upon because they're biologically not as strong as men. Would you agree with this?" Daphne asked suddenly, surprising Hermione.

"I-ah-yes. I mean, we can't generalize, but yes, they are the two main factors," Hermione admitted after a moment of thought. She was surprised because she had never really thought about it that way, and now that she did, it made quite a lot of sense. She couldn't deny that she was also shocked at the fact that  _Daphne_ was the one who made her aware of this.

"Now think about it. The Wizarding World does not have religion. Barring any personal beliefs in a higher power aside, there is no organized religion, no holy book, nor Gods that we have. This means that one influence is already absent. As for the other, physical strength doesn't quite have the same importance here as in the Muggle world. Professor Flitwick, for example, is a very diminutive man, but he's capable of bringing down people the size of Hagrid. It doesn't matter how you're built, how much you weigh and how hard you can throw a punch if your opponent can cast a curse at you faster than you can react. So, there goes the other influence."

Realization washed over Hermione as she recognized the truth in Daphne's words. Now that she was giving some thought to this, she couldn't deny it. She remembered now how she had never been told she couldn't do something because she was a woman ever since she entered the female world. Remembered how no one had ever put her down, or talked condescendingly to her, or even disregarded her opinion just because she was a woman. Something that happened regularly in the Muggle world, even now.

She came back to the present when Daphne spoke again, "This is why we can't say this world is prejudiced against women. It isn't. I have just as much chance of doing something as say, Draco Malfoy. Now, yes, we are at a slight disadvantage due to our unique ability to get pregnant. And although there have been historic legends of male pregnancies, as far as modern history is concerned, those are just that; legends. We can't help the fact that only we are capable of getting pregnant. Combine that with the dismally low population of the Wizarding population at any given point, and you understand why we are under more pressure at times. And why the number of children is always specified in the contract," Daphne finished. She took a deep breath when she was done.

Immediately, Hermione conjured a glass of water for her, which she downed with a grateful smile.

"Thank-you for that, Daphne," Hermione started hesitantly, "I'm afraid, even after being in the Wizarding World for so long, I was unfamiliar with what you just told me. It's quite fascinating if you think about it, but of course, that's not what we're here to talk about."

"No, it's not," Daphne agreed. "You wanted to know why I left, I told you. You wanted to know who Gabriel's father is, I told you. Is there anything else?" In front of Hermione's very eyes, Daphne changed into the Ice-Queen she was famous for being. Her shutters came down and her blue eyes turned into hard shards of ice.

"I-There is," Hermione took a deep breath, unsure of how to phrase her next question, but knowing she had to do it. "Is Gabriel abused, Daphne?"

She cringed at the way the words seemed to slip off her tongue callously. She had meant to put it in a much more delicate way, but it seemed like her mouth didn't agree with her. She watched Daphne carefully, noticing the different emotions that cycled through her eyes before finally settling on careful aloofness.

"Do you have any reason to believe he is, Hermione?" Even the way she said Hermione's way was cold, detached. Hermione didn't buy it, though. She could hear just the slightest of tremors running through the otherwise perfectly done voice.

Daphne didn't consider one thing, though. Hermione had once been her friend. She knew the way her mind worked, knew when something wasn't quite right.

"You know very well I do, Daphne. I wouldn't have asked you otherwise," Hermione countered, crossing her arms.

Daphne managed to look her in the eyes steadily for another half a minute, before she closed her eyes tiredly and sighed.

"I try my best to shield him from the worst of it, but sometimes I'm not there to…." her voice trailed off towards the end as she wrapped her arms around herself, as if remembering something that she needed to protect herself from.

Despite knowing on some level that her suspicions were probably true, the admittance still made Hermione falter. "But-why?" That was the only thing she could ask. Why would anyone want to hurt someone as precious and as innocent as Gabriel? How could they?

"Because Marcus is a disgusting human being who needs to be put down," Daphne sneered coldly, surprising Hermione with the  _sheer_ vehemence in her voice.

"He believes Gabriel is too weak, too childlike. He seems to forget that Gabriel  _is_ a child! I can't do anything, because the only time he does anything to Gabriel is when I'm not there to protect my baby boy. He knows that otherwise, he can't land even a Tickling Hex on him," Daphne snarled.

"But, why haven't you left him then? You said the Wizarding World isn't unfair to women, fine. But that should mean you should be able to leave him then, shouldn't it?" Hermione questioned, a little bit more pointedly than she would have wanted but she couldn't do anything about it now.

Daphne sighed again, "All divorces have to go through the Wizengamot, regardless of the reason behind it. Marriage is a sacred institution and the breaking of such a bond is highly frowned upon. Which is why all divorce appeals are looked over with a fine-toothed comb to make sure they're actually valid before a couple is granted. It's hard enough when the couple is amicably parting, but when the two people are like Marcus and I are? It's almost impossible. Marcus would want this marriage to go on just to torture me and all the Wizengamot needs is one word from either partner that a decision as monumental as this was made in haste and that's it, it's gone."

Hermione closed her eyes and counted to ten. When she opened them again, they were flaring with the famous Hermione Granger temper that sent people running for the hills and cowering behind the closest object.

"Daphne," she started, her voice taut with tension that could snap like a thread at any second, "You will come with me and we will devise a plan to get you out of this sham of a marriage, get it? We have the backing of at least  _three_ Noble and Most Ancient Houses and we WILL use it to our advantage."

"But, Hermio-" Daphne tried to protest, albeit weakly, but she was cut off when Hermione raised her hand.

"I'm not asking you, Daphne," she said firmly, "I'm telling you that you're coming with me. From what I've gathered, this has gone on long enough. But, that's it, we're stopping it now."

"I-Hermione, I don't know..what to say," Daphne stuttered out, "This-This isn't something I could ever imagine, and I-I just don't know, I'm sorry." Embarrassed, she hung her head in defeat.

Hermione walked up to her and gently lifting her chin up, she looked her right in the eyes and said, "Daphne. I know you're a fighter. I know you've got life in you, and I know you're not letting this go just like that. I'm merely helping you to get there, to take back what was yours, to reclaim your life."

Seemingly overwhelmed, Daphne couldn't do anything more than throw her hands around Hermione in an uncharacteristic loss of composure and bury her head in the crook of her neck.

"I cannot thank you enough, Hermione, for this. Even if this doesn't end up going anywhere, just know that I will forever remain in your debt for what you're attempting," Daphne promised, though her voice came out muffled due to her position.

It was just as Hermione was about to answer that someone knocked on the door. Daphne immediately stepped back from Hermione and cast several Cleansing charms on her face in a matter of seconds, surprising Hermione with the speed at which she reacted. By the time she was done, she looked just as she had when she had entered the School; perfectly composed and emotionless.

Another knock at the door prompted Hermione to unlock the door, "Come in!"

Sirius Black entered the room at her words, eyes immediately narrowing when he saw Daphne Greengrass standing so close to Hermione.

"Are...you okay, Mione?" he asked cautiously.

"Yes, yes, I'm alright," Hermione replied with a careless wave of her hand.

"Ms. Greengrass," Sirius acknowledged curtly.

"Sirius," Daphne said softly.

"Siri," Hermione said, "There's something you need to know."

Sirius looked questioningly at her, breaking his eye contact with Daphne, "Yes?"

Hermione looked at Daphne and when the other woman gave a short nod, she motioned for Sirius to sit down. When he did, she bit her lip and said,

"Daphne told me a very troubling tale, Siri. And I've promised to help her, but I can only do so with your help. And Harry's." Hermione could see the confusion clouding his grey eyes.

She could see he wanted to say something, wanted to know what had happened in the past hour that had changed her mind so much that she was now willing to help Daphne, but she could also see that he trusted her to tell him everything.

So she did. Taking a deep breath, she repeated everything that Daphne had told her over the past hour, with the blonde chiming in at times but otherwise remaining silent. Hermione imagined it couldn't have been easy for her to go over this twice in such a short span of time.

She was sure Daphne couldn't have even dreamt of something like this happening and was therefore completely unprepared for it. Hermione knew she wouldn't have wanted to go through it twice. So it was only fair she didn't make Daphne do so either.

By the time she was done, Sirius' face looked like it was made out of stone. Hermione wasn't surprised. You didn't know what Sirius Black was thinking until he let you know. He preferred keeping his thoughts to himself until he was sure of them.

After a minute of tense silence, Sirius spoke up.

"There's no question then, is there? We have to help her." He said it so matter-of-factly that even Hermione was a little surprised.

She wasn't surprised at what he said, though. Regardless of how angry he was at Daphne, she knew he would never let something like this just go on without at least trying to do anything about it.

Hermione smiled. A teeth-baring smile that meant that she was a woman on a mission, and she would do whatever was necessary to achieve what she wanted.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we find out who Gabe's father is here. Are y'all surprised? I loved how you guys tried to figure out if it was going to be Harry or not, but I had decided right in the beginning that it wasn't going to be him. I just couldn't do that to my baby, you know?


End file.
